The Metronome
by youshallnotpass
Summary: Mamoru's four generals never fought the Senshi—their clones did. The four true generals lived on Earth with no memories of their past lives or powers. However, when a new threat falls upon the world it is finally time for them to awaken and come to the aid of the Senshi they once knew—and loved. AU. Featuring Ranma from Ranma 1/2
1. Chapter 1

The Metronome: Prologue

"I'm sorry to have to wake you," she said in a tone that belied her apathy. "Especially at this hour."

Swallowing his bite of cinnamon pie, Kurama dabbed his mouth with the white handkerchief provided by the diner. "No need to apologize. I've had enough rest. Besides, this subject is more than grounds to rouse me."

"Right," she replied, pressing her fork into her own pastry—apple-pecan. "Where to begin…"

Kurama was an impatient man. He cared little for small talk or trivial details that did not directly pertain to him. "Fast forward to the point where I come in," he said curtly. Given the hour and the matter at hand he was in little mood for her and her story-telling. The woman could be as long-winded as they came when missions were involved. He'd have voted that someone else wake him up and drag him out in the middle of the night if he'd been given the opportunity to do so—maybe the one with the wavy hair, what was her name? She was always semi-reasonable to deal with. Still, his mysterious companion had brought him to a restaurant that served pie on a twenty-four-seven basis. She knew his downside, but it'd worked. He'd listen to her—until his pie ran out, at least.

The tall woman with the lengthy eyelashes and stern cheeks nodded. "We thought it was over, the worst of it, after Galaxia was converted and went back home. No more Beryls. No more Mistress Nines. The girls were happy…for a spell. Then the attack occurred on Mars the other night. Blunt trauma to the head. Series of ball patterns on her bedroom wall. The pattern was too familiar to ignore seeking you out. I knew instantly you needed to be notified."

Kurama's back stiffened. He put down his fork and swallowed his bite of pie without chewing. Even after being asleep for so long he knew what that pattern meant. It became clear now, why she'd awaken him, why she'd pulled him into a diner in the stark of night.

He inhaled deeply. "The Metronome."

She picked up her mug and sipped at her tea. "Impressive that even after a thousand years of sleep you'd remember so quickly."

"One never forgets his greatest enemy, Setsuna," he replied.

Meioh Setsuna leaned back into the plush red booth and stared out of the window. Her eyes lingered on the series of passersby, coming and going from more innocent places—places that aren't haunted by a past-life full of bloodshed.

Kurama leaned back against his own side of the booth. The diner was surprisingly alive for one in the morning. Then again, they were in downtown Tokyo and the denizens here loved all things western. Perhaps it was no surprise—the hustle and bustle around them. Perhaps, to the booths-full of patrons and the roller-skating waitresses in 50's-style dresses whirring around in a hurried attempt to keep up with the orders, it was just another one a.m. shift.

"Mars, huh?" Kurama said after several uncomfortably silent moments. "Probably an attempt to draw him out."

"That was the conclusion I drew, as well," Setsuna replied.

"Has he been contacted yet?"

Setsuna, eyes still set on the window, nodded. "Haruka's working on it."

"You think she's prepared for that?" Kurama asked, narrowing his eyes. "If I remember correctly, he wasn't easily 'tamed.' I have a feeling he won't come along peacefully."

"That's still the case," she replied. "However, she's well-equipped to try."

Picking up his fork, he split the remainder of his dessert in two and lifted a portion to his mouth. The whole thing had his stomach in a right state, but he was a sucker for pie; it was a shame to let it go to waste.

"The others?" he asked after finishing the last bite. "What of them?"

"Michiru and Hotaru are on it. They should have better luck. Those two should be far easier to convince." Setsuna paused. "We _will_ require all four of you. Him especially."

"I'll step in if need be," he replied. "Where is he now?"

"Tokyo, fortuitously enough," she replied. "Moved here last month in search of a 'new life.'"

Kurama snickered. "Ironic seeing as he's about to be thrust back into his old one."

"Cheers," Setsuna replied with the slightest of smiles. She turned her face to Kurama, a hint of satisfaction riding her dark eyes. "I must say, it's refreshing to speak with you again. Welcome back, Kunzite."

It had been ages since he'd been called by that name—a lifetime, in fact. When she'd first awakened him he'd almost feared it and what it meant, what it meant he was getting into. His life had been so peaceful, so bland. Part of him would miss it—but if it meant fighting alongside Venus again…

"It's good to be back," he said in earnest. Kurama took a moment to savor the lingering taste of cinnamon in his mouth—the lingering taste of his peaceful, innocent life—then washed it away with a healthy drink of tea. "Now let's go rally my generals. We have a threat to overcome."

* * *

><p>Saotome Ranma had long since come to the decision that he very much enjoyed the company of women. Ever since his no good ex-fiancee had left him for that total pig he'd had a new woman on his arm nearly every weekend. Moving to the city was a very good investment in that regard—everywhere he looked he either saw a crazy person or a beautiful woman. With so many to choose from it was often a battle to see which sharply dressed girl he'd work over with his charms. He always ended up going for the exotic ones, though. Something about misplaced hair and eye color struck his fancy.<p>

Last night's 'exotic' date _had_ been unfortunate, however. The tall, short-haired blond who'd hit on him at that martial arts conference seemed cool at the time. Then halfway through the date she started ranting on about talking cats and some kingdom on the moon. Never one for tact, Ranma eventually uttered the word 'crackpot' before he could contain himself. The woman then incited a panic in the restaurant when she clenched her fist and announced the world was shaking. Fearing an earthquake, a stampede erupted in the building. Ranma ran out when everyone else did and was fortunately able to lose himself in the crowd before said crackpot could impose any damage upon him.

As Ranma sourly reflected upon his nightmare of a date he missed the red stop light and instead kept riding through the intersection on his jet-red motorbike. It wasn't until he was feet from hitting a raven-haired girl in a private school uniform that he realized his mistake. He slammed on the break and shouted, but it wasn't enough. The momentum of the bike kept it flying forward. Closer he came until the bike was nearly upon her. She turned and froze. Their eyes met. His bike screeched, his heart leapt into his throat and his mind screamed at the thought of harming this beautiful young woman and—

—A young man slammed into her and knocked her out of the way right before the bike's front tire could hit her. The pair took a tumble and landed on the pavement several feet away. The bike finally stopped. Ranma let it fall to the side and ran to the pair of teens lying in the road.

"Are you okay?" he asked, nearly out of breath, as the young man helped the girl to her feet. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't paying attention and—"

The young man turned around. Ranma's voice fleeted. 'He' wasn't a young man, at all. He was…

"You?" Ranma asked, staring at last night's crackpot of a date with wide eyes.

Crackpot narrowed her own eyes. "You."

Ranma pointed an accusing finger. "You stalking me or something?"

"More like saving you from killing an innocent bystander," she replied, nodding at the young woman behind her.

That's right—the girl he'd nearly hit. Was she all right? Had she taken any damage in the fall? His concern for her well-being overrode his frustrations with Crackpot. Shaking off his frustrations with the tomboy-blond, he brushed past her and turned his attention to one who only could be described as—

—_the most beautiful girl I've seen since Akane. Maybe moreso…_

The jet-black haired young woman with a heart-shaped face and overly long lashes watched him with a certain seriousness in her wide, violet eyes. Her straight, confident posture fit her gaze, and her short, private school girl uniform fit her petite body snugly. She really was the most beautiful girl he'd seen in some time...

"Brain-dead moron!"

…until she opened her mouth, that was.

"Just who the bloody hell do you think you are, flying around on that death-trap of a bike?" The young woman charged forward and slapped his chest as if she'd done it a million times before. "You could have killed yourself! Scratch that, you could've killed _me_!" Smack! "Or a child!" _Smack! _"Or a nun!"

Reflexively, Ranma caught her hand before she could hit him again. "What's a nun doing in the heart of Tokyo, then?"

She ripped her hand away. "Are you challenging me, then?"

"So what if I am? What are you going to do about it? Have a go at me? Only a total loser would hit a defenseless young girl!"

"Defenseless? You're about as defenseless as a charging bull!"

"Brain-dead moron!"

"Common wench!"

The next swing was aimed directly at his head.

"Okay, that's enough, Rei," Crackpot intervened, grabbing Rei before she could do any damage to Ranma's face. "I think he learned his lesson."

"Fool like him'd be hard-pressed to learn anything," Rei replied with a _hmph!_ She turned to walk away, revealing a large, black-and-blue lump on the side of her forehead.

"Wait up…" Ranma said with concern. She stopped and looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

"That bump…" he hesitated. "Did I cause that?"

She hesitated, too. "It was…" she paused, then looked at the crackpot. "It was from something else."

"Accident prone, you."

_Slap!_

Watching Crackpot lead the fiery, raven-haired girl away, Ranma held the sore-spot on his face and frowned. _Guess that's one number I won't be getting,_ he thought. After collecting his bike from the road, he cast once last glance in the direction of their retreat, but they were already lost to the crowd.

_Shame_, he thought, revving his engine. He pulled out into traffic, cutting off a taxi-cab in the process. _I have a thing for the feisty ones._

* * *

><p>After a thousand and four years of travel, he'd finally made it back. Earth. Home. Life. Everything he'd been forced to leave behind at the hands of the monsters who'd banished him.<p>

Had it changed much? Would there be many surprises? From his brief glimpse of it, yes, things had indeed changed drastically—but that didn't matter. He'd adapt to anything new and different. He'd always been an excellent adapter, after all. Re-entering his home would be no exception. He'd found and conned one of the inner Senshi into trusting him within days, hadn't he? Acclimating to flying carriages and those hand-held gadgets people held up to their ears would be easy. In fact, so long as he could keep the con up, he could probably get the Mars girl to teach him all about these new ways of the world. Yes, he'd use her to acclimate, then he'd use her as a gateway to brutally destroy her _and_ her friends.

"Will that be all?" the street florist asked him. "Just the flowers today? Any gift wrapping?"

The tall, silver-haired man shook his head and accepted the bouquet of white calla lilies. "I like things a little on the wild side." He handed her the odd, brightly colored paper currency he'd lifted from some old woman's handbag and smiled. "Thank you."

"Thank you," the florist returned. With another nod, he walked away. It was time to circle back and find that temple again—to apologize for that "accident" that occurred when they first met and to ask her how her head was. A gentleman always asks, after all.

Looking around with sharp eyes that matched his hair in color, then man set off into the crowd. He looked around, wondering which bundling street he should follow to find her. Following instinct, he headed off to the right. He wasn't worried about finding the temple again, or her. He always found his prey. Even if it took a thousand and four years to do so. He'd find her, he'd befriend her, then it'd be all the more satisfying when he devoured her, and then the rest of them. They'd pay for what they'd done to him, all of them. The Metronome wanted his revenge.

And the Metronome got what the metronome wanted.


	2. Chapter 2

The Metronome: Chapter 1

That night, Ranma dreamt.

He was in a castle of the old Edo style, like the ones he'd seen on sightseeing trips to old Japanese towns with old Japanese palaces. The lines of the walls, windows and doorframes were simple and square, cased by thick, deeply stained wood. A thin, rice paper door which allowed feint whispers of light to creep in separated the small, shadowy room he was in from the hallway. There was a chill about the cramped space in which he sat seiza, one that penetrated the warmth of the comforter surrounding him in real life.

A bang and a crash came from the hall. Ranma stood and shook the tingling sensation from his left leg. Another crash perked his ear. He ran for the rice paper door and slid it open, squinting out into the brightly lit hallway.

Crash. _Bang!_ A female voice called a name. Hold on. It was his name… but it wasn't. She called for some different, foreign sounding name—two unidentifiable syllables, maybe three—not 'Ranma' by any means, but a welt in his chest told him she was indeed calling for _him_. And that welt commanded he run to her.

The fabric of his traditional black hakama swished as he sped down the hall. The Prince had long since given up on forcing Ranma to wear proper armor like the others wore. It didn't suit him—didn't suit his style. He was a man of arms and legs, not swords and chain mail. He preferred hand-to-hand combat and chain mail had a way of interfering with that system.

When he reached the end of the hallway he didn't bother to slide open the rice paper door at its end. Instead he charged right through it and paused when he reached the other side. A man with silver hair and black attire stood in the center of the room, his arm wrapped firmly around a young woman in a multi-colored silk kimono. Both of their faces were blurred as if slicked over with Vaseline. Their voices were distorted, as well, so that he could only hear muffled bits of what they were saying.

"…Trap!" the young woman shouted, her words fading in and out. "Get… before… gets… too."

The silver haired man's booming laughter flooded the room. "He'd never…you…harm's way."

Ranma darted forward, but paused when the man's hand wrapped around the young woman's throat.

"Another step, she dies," he said. This time his words were clear as crystal.

"Let her go," Ranma said gruffly. "What's it going to take for you to let her go?"

The man's grip tightened, cutting off the young woman's shallow whimpering.

Ranma clenched his fists. "I said: what's it going to take? What do you want from me?"

"You know what I want," replied the silver haired man. "I want the…" his voice faded. "Bring me the…" It faded again. "You have… days," and again. "Or she…" and again.

A wall of pure shadow formed behind the man and his hostage. He pulled her close to him—close enough to stir a well of rage within Ranma—and walked into it. The two of them faded as if never there in the first place and Ranma awoke as if he'd never been asleep.

In a fit Ranma ripped off his shaggy blanket and walked in circles around his darkened bedroom. He hated loose ends, including dreams that ended without conclusion. It reminded him about how things ended with Akane.

_Don't go there, Ranma._

No, no. He didn't want to think about that, not after spending so much time creating a new life to forget her. With the women, the bike, the new dojo opening up, he'd found plenty of ways to wall her and her betrayal out. However, sometimes, on nights like these, she found her way around the wall. Ranma couldn't have that. It was time for a change of pace.

Pace.

Running.

Yes, he'd go for a run. Maybe a little air would do him well. After rummaging through a pile of dirty laundry in the corner he found clothing suitable for a midnight run and changed. The door clicked behind him as he walked out, and it was then that he realized he'd locked his keys inside.

_Five hours 'til the super gets in, _he thought as he smacked his forehead. _Guess I'll be making this an extra long run._

* * *

><p>Rei didn't like midnight meetings. Nothing good ever came of them, especially when Setsuna was at the helm. Rei liked to call it Setsuna's 'witching hour,' because whenever the mysterious keeper of time gathered the Senshi together in the middle of the night, doom had a tendency to follow. Given the dire look in Setsuna's eyes as she led Haruka, Michiru and Hotaru into the temple, Rei knew tonight would be no different.<p>

Accustomed to bowing for guests of the temple, Rei leaned forward and greeted her guests. Hotaru giggled and corrected her.

"No need to be so formal with your friends, Rei-chan," the little girl said with an endearing grin.

"Sorry, reflex," Rei replied. "Usagi and the others are already in my room. This way…"

They made their way down the hall and into Rei's room where the others waited. Usagi and Mamoru sat cross-legged on the floor, Ami leaned against Rei's bed with a book, Makoto was sprawled out on the bed itself, and Minako…

"Who are the flowers from, Rei-chan?" she asked innocently, playing with the carefully placed vase of Casablanca lilies on Rei's desk. "Secret boyfriend?"

Rei nearly choked on her own saliva.

"Minako-chan. Don't tease her!" Usagi scolded, then laughed. "A man-hater like Rei-chan would never accept flowers from some 'barbarian' male."

"You have a point," Minako nodded. "She nearly set the last guy who brought her flowers on fire. And I didn't smell anything burning when I walked in…"

The others laughed.

Rei walked over and testily snatched the vase. "If you _must_ know, they're from the guy who got attacked by that youma the other day. They're an apology for—"

"—For nearly getting you killed!" Haruka interrupted. "Need I remind you, if it weren't for him you wouldn't have that monstrous lump on your forehead, and you wouldn't have almost died."

"I knew it!" Minako shouted, pointing at Rei. "Secret boyfriend!"

Rei ignored her. She turned to Haruka. "Haruka-san, he was hurt. I couldn't just leave him alone, and I couldn't transform in front of him. What would you have me do?"

"_Not_ dive in the way of a complete stranger when a youma sends a blast of power in his general direction," Haruka shot back.

"We _are_ in the business of saving people," Rei argued.

"Not when it means leaving ourselves completely vulnerable! What good are you to all of us if you're dead?"

"And what good am I as a hero if I'm allowing innocent people to die?"

Haruka ran off on another tangent about how important the Senshi were to the safety of the universe and how, in the long run, one life didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. Rei lashed back with comments about how cold and insensitive the guardian of Uranus was and how no life was inconsequential. Rei respected Haruka and the other 'outers' greatly, but she was growing increasingly tired of their apathy over the 'common human life.'

Eventually the two stop listening to each other and instead ended up in a battle over who could shout the loudest, causing Usagi to cry and Ami to hide in a corner. After a few more minutes of animated yelling and arm flailing Michiru and Minako managed to calm the two down respectively and got them to apologize, although neither one meant it.

"If you're both settled, I'd like to get to why I called you all here in the first place," Setsuna said sternly. Haruka nodded and took a seat on the desk chair and Rei guided Ami away from the corner. She sat the blue-haired girl down on the bed and put a reassuring arm around her shoulder.

"Sorry, Ami-chan," Rei whispered.

"It's okay, Rei-chan," Ami said meekly. "Just…try not to kill each other, okay?"

Rei's furious eyes meet Haruka's steely ones. "No promises," she grumbled.

"I called you all here," Setsuna began, staring pointedly between Rei and Haruka. "To discuss the youma that attacked Rei the other day and, more importantly, to discuss its implications. Everyone, I'm afraid that our time of peace is over. An old threat has arisen, a dire one."

_'Dire.'_ Rei narrowed her eyes. _I knew it._

The inner Senshi stared at each other with curious expressions. Rei frowned. The outers always kept things to themselves until the last minute.

"I figured something big was up when that youma appeared," Minako replied, breaking Rei's thoughts. "I just didn't know what, or who, was behind it."

"The attack was ordered by a man we referred to in the past life as 'The Metronome,'" Setsuna said. "Youma made of clay were his calling card. That's how we know it was him."

"Metronome?" Makoto asked. "That doesn't sound familiar."

"You don't have as good a handle on your memories of the past life as we do. There's probably a lot you don't remember," Hotaru explained. "But believe me when I say he's bad news."

"How bad?" Minako asked.

Hotaru stared at her for a moment, as if unsure of how to answer.

"He nearly wiped out all of existence," Haruka answered for her. "Not just the Moon Kingdom. Not just the Galaxy. Everything."

Silence fell across the room. Makoto sat upright. Ami slumped her shoulders and Minako straightened her own. Usagi leaned into Mamoru. The inner Senshi looked at each other, their faces awash with the shared thought of, _'Not again.' _Seeking a moment away from the severity of Haruka's words, Rei turned and stared at her vase of flowers and remembered how flush she'd felt when she'd received them from the enchanting man with sharp cheeks and even sharper eyes.

Minako broke the silence. "Why is he here now? The past life was over a thousand years ago. Why wait so long to attack?"

"We banished him," Setsuna replied. "We banished him to a void—a rip in time—in the past life."

"We thought it was forever," Michiru added. "Apparently not—and he's just now found his way back."

"We also assume he didn't come back for afternoon tea," Haruka said gruffly. "He means business."

"Wh-what does he want?" Ami stuttered. Rei's grip on her tightened.

"Zenmetsu," Haruka said with a low voice and narrowed eyes. "Annihilation."

The group shared a collective pause.

"But why did he target Rei-chan?" Usagi asked, her voice laced with concern. "If he's out to destroy everything, then why go after her specifically?"

"Isolated incident," Rei replied dismissively. She didn't like being referred to as a 'target.' "I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or the right place at the right time. Depends on how you look at it."

"I'm afraid there's more to it than that, Rei," Setsuna said. "He targeted you because you're a weakness to someone—someone he wants to pull out of hiding. Which brings me to the other reason why we're here."

Rei raised an eyebrow. "You mean there's more to the agenda than just a lunatic from the past who wants to destroy existence?"

"Don't be rude, Rei-chan," Usagi warned.

Setsuna shook her head. "Her reaction is understandable. However, Rei, this news is on the brighter side. We've acquired allies, ones that were instrumental in banishing The Metronome the first time."

"Allies?" Minako asked. "You mean like the Starlights?"

The outers shared a look.

"Sort of, but you already know them…" Hotaru's voice trailed off.

"From the past life?" Makoto asked. "I don't remember meeting any super powered individuals in this life...aside from you all, I mean."

"Well..." Hotaru's gaze dropped to her hands. "From what I've heard of the past, you _sort_ of know them."

Rei wasn't pleased with Hotaru's body language or the way she slurred her words. She turned to Setsuna. "Setsuna-san, what does she mean, 'sort of?'"

Setsuna's eyes lingered on Rei a bit too long. "How do I explain this..." she began finally. "Back when your true selves were first triggered, you fought a series of generals who fought for Queen Beryl. Kunzite, Neflite, Zoicite and-"

"Jedite," Rei said swiftly. "We remember."

Setsuna nodded. "Yes, formerly Prince Mamoru's four generals, these men were brainwashed into serving Queen Beryl and met severe ends at your hands."

"They were evil, Setsuna-san," Minako said. "Of course they met severe ends."

"They also weren't the true generals," Setsuna replied. "They were hitokage. Dopplegangers."

"Hitokage?" Mamoru asked eagerly. He released Usagi's hand and stood up. "You mean my men didn't betray me? That the men we fought and killed weren't my generals?"

"They were not your generals, Mamoru," Setsuna responded. "Your men never betrayed you."

A look of pure satisfaction washed over Mamoru's features, softening his cheeks and eyes. "I...I always knew they would never have done such terrible things."

"They were taken captive by Beryl and killed after their hitokage were created. They never laid a single hand on anyone," Setsuna said. "It was a shame, the timing. They were betrothed to the four princesses of the inner planets at the time. Mars' wedding to Jedite was only weeks away."

"Hold the phone," Rei interrupted, taking a stand. "Me, marry Jedite? Have you lost it? He's our enemy. As if I'd have been on the verge of marrying the likes of him!"

"Take it easy, Rei," Michiru said calmly. "She's right. In the past life you _were_ engaged to marry Jedite. The _real_ Jedite. Not the hitokage you faced when you first regained your powers. You two were very much in love."

"Preposterous," Rei waved a hand at Michiru. "There's no way I would have been involved with a devious snake like him."

Mamoru put a hand on Rei's shoulder. "Rei, you aren't listening. Setsuna-san just said that the generals you fought weren't the real generals. It's a very real possibility that you were in a relationship with General Jedite."

Rei slapped his hand away. This was insane. Insane! "If I were in a relationship, then why don't I remember it? Why don't any of us remember being in relationships with those monsters?"

"Actually..." Minako began with some hesitation. "I remember being engaged to Kunzite."

"You...what?" Rei snapped. "And you were going to tell us this _when?_"

Minako put her hands up in defense. "I only remembered a few nights ago. It...it came to me in my dreams...little by little...dancing...twirling...the flowers and the gifts...I thought it was just me having romantic dreams as usual, but now that Setsuna-san brings it up, I know it was him. I can see his face in my head...hear his voice..."

At the sight of the feint flush in Minako's cheeks and the way she couldn't look Rei in the eye, Rei clenched her fists. She looked around, at the confused looks on Ami's and Makoto's faces, at the way Usagi and Mamoru seemed to believe every word Setsuna was saying. Her attention turned to Haruka, the skeptic of the group. She'd be on Rei's side, Rei knew.

"Haruka-san, you don't believe them, do you?" Rei asked, charging toward the tall blond. "You _know_ the generals were our enemies, not our lovers. Tell them, tell them they're all mad!"

Haruka took in a deep breath, keeping her shoulders perfectly still. "Rei, I know this is difficult to believe, but..."

A tightness clenched Rei's chest, making it difficult to breathe. This was a joke, a cruel joke. "Not you, too."

"Perhaps I can persuade her," a male's voice said from the door.

The Senshi turned to look at the newcomer-but not Rei. She knew who it was without looking. Her senses told her so. They would've alerted her sooner, in fact, but she'd been so caught up in the conversation she'd gone completely off alert...

Rei reached for her transformation stick in her robe, with no luck. _No, I left it on my nightstand on the other side of the room..._ She knew she needed to arm herself, though, and quickly, so she grabbed the first thing she could find.

The vase of casablanca lilies flew at Kunzite's head before he had the chance to dodge.

* * *

><p>Ranma knew he looked like a complete idiot, spinning around on one leg, shaking his left foot in a desperate attempt to relieve the cramp in his arch.<p>

'_Whatever,' _he thought_. 'No one's around to see me act a fool anyway.'_

After several more spins the cramp finally subsided and Ranma took a seat on the bench outside of the temple where he'd stopped. Despite the painful ending, the run had been good for him and he'd been able to work a lot out. His mind was no longer plagued with thoughts of loose ends and betrayal. It was more relaxed now, he was more relaxed.

He leaned back, lifted his head to look at the moon and smiled. _'Nothing like a good workout to get rid of what ails you.'_

A commotion inside of the temple caught his attention. Ranma's head snapped to the left in time to see a young woman in simple priestess robes storm out of the temple's main entrance.

"Go ahead, fraternize with the enemy!" she shouted behind her. "Don't say 'I told you so' when he beheads you all and leaves your bodies in a gutter!"

_'Behead?'_ Ranma thought, alarmed. _'Okay, maybe it's about time I get out of here...'_

Before he could stand the young priestess caught sight of him and shouted, "Hey! What do you think you're doing here?"

Frozen by the enraged look on her face as she power-walked towards him, Ranma stood completely still. When she reached him he blinked several times-that long black hair, those fiery violet eyes, the noticeable lump on her forehead-she looked vaguely familiar-he'd met her somewhere before. But where?

"You-you-" she stuttered, paused, then regained her composure. "You're the idiot who nearly ran me over!"

Ranma's finger shot up and into her face. "That's right! You're the accident prone one!"

She grabbed his finger and twisted. Ranma's arm twisted with it, causing him to yell.

"Who are you calling accident prone?" she applied more pressure. "Maybe there wouldn't have been an accident if you'd paid attention instead of being a brain-dead moron!"

Ranma lowered his shoulders and turned, spinning out of the chicken wing the young woman had him in. He grabbed her hand and pulled his other finger out of it.

"Listen, common wench!" he began, trying his best not to get lost in the warmth of her hand...or how soft it was. "I'm not brain-dead. I'm about as un-brain-dead as they come and if you would just hear me out I'd explain that-"

He paused when someone sinister began laughing from behind the bushes. They rustled. A figure appeared. It limped toward the two, slowly revealing someone-or some thing-that wasn't exactly human.

Tall and slender, the grey, clay-like creature had arms and legs that grew wider as they stretched outward. Its square fists were like large mallets and its long, slim, razor-sharp teeth were something out of a nightmare. There was a hint of glee in its red eyes that matched its laughter-laughter that sent a chill down Ranma's spine.

The young woman's hand tensed in his grip. That's right, the girl-the petite, defenseless girl. He squeezed her hand tighter and swiftly pulled him behind her, determined to protect her from whatever this thing was.

"Stay behind me," he warned. "I'll protect you."

"I'm not helpless!" she replied, fighting his grip. "And it's _you_ who might want to stay behind _me_."

Ranma turned his head slightly, just enough to see her face from the corner of his eye. The moonlight hit her features, causing stray bits of silver to reflect in her eyes and for a moment, just a moment, he knew those eyes-he knew her. And not just as the girl he'd nearly hit, but as something more. Something special.

"Run," she demanded, breaking the trance. "It's not you it's after, it's me."

"How do you know that?" he asked.

She pointed to the welt on her head. "Not my first rodeo, cowboy. Now run!"

Ranma questioned what she meant by that. Were there more of these things? And were they targeting her for some reason? Why? No matter. A pretty young woman was in peril and Saotome Ranma couldn't let that slide.

"You aren't getting hurt again," he said confidently. "Not on my watch."

Then Ranma released her hand, raised his fists and charged toward the creature.

_'Been a while since I've had a good fight,' _he thought as he advanced. _'And I have a feeling this is going to be a good one.'_


	3. Chapter 3

The Metronome: Chapter 2

The youma outside of the temple was unlike anything Rei had encountered so far. She sensed an unmatched darkness about it—something fiercer than even Galaxia had sent their way. And it wasn't like the one that attacked her the other day. This one was stronger, meaner. She could feel it.

Rei wanted to transform into Sailor Mars but couldn't for two reasons: first, she'd stupidly left her transformer on her nightstand—but it'd been so peaceful recently she'd grown accustomed to not needing it. Holding on to it was both unnecessary and reminded her of a lifetime of memories she no longer wanted. Dying twice was enough to shake anyone up. Ignoring it made living a normal life much easier.

There was also the issue of not wanting to reveal her true self to the idiot charging at the beast as he shouted something about "anything goes" or some such nonsense. Sure, he looked muscular and tough, but 'tough' wasn't enough to go against a monster with this much spiritual strength. She was positive he was going to get himself killed if she didn't do something—but what?

Then she thought of the meeting—the girls! They were all in the temple and there was no way Setsuna-san hadn't senses something wrong by now. Yes, yes! They'd be out any second to eradicate the youma and save the idiot—though she would admit he was a brave (and surprisingly chivalrous) idiot before he reached the creature…

…Too late. With uncanny speed the young man ducked out of the way of one of the youma's quick swipes and slammed his fist into its mid-section. A clay-like substance exploded around the impact, splattering his face and chest. He ignored the splatter and struck the same spot again, this time creating a hole straight through the creature's stomach.

It howled and staggered back, wrapping its arms around itself. The black-haired teen turned to look at her, his face awash with confidence, and nodded, as if to say, "Don't worry, I've got this."

He had kind eyes, Rei could tell even from the other side of the courtyard. They were a contrast to his rude demeanor. In that moment he didn't look like the immature brat who'd called her a 'common wench' after nearly killing her. He looked like a strong, confident man who—

—The youma raised tall once again and moved its arms to its side to reveal that the hole in its stomach was completely healed. It raised its hammer hand and prepared to crash it down on the young man's head.

"Look out!" Rei screamed, pointing behind him.

He narrowed his eyes and turned, catching the hammer before it could hit him. Twisting his body, he pulled his hands forward and threw the creature several feet to the right. The youma slammed into the pavement and let out a howl, its clay shoulder exploding over the area. It righted itself and roared. The clay around it rose, ran up its leg and reformed its missing shoulder.

"Interesting trick," the young man commented, then charged at the youma again.

Rei's attention alternated between the temple's main entrance and the battle between the youma and the young man. Why weren't the girls coming? The guy was strong, but he couldn't keep exchanging blows with this thing forever. Every time he did any damage the monster just regenerated whatever body part it'd lost. The guy would lose stamina soon and then what would Rei do? Throw rocks at it? She didn't have any charms on her. Akuryo Taisan likely wouldn't work without one. Rei cursed herself. She was smarter than this! When had she become so confident that things would always be peaceful?

Watching the fight between the young man and the youma grew entrancing. She soon lost interest on the door altogether. The guy was so quick and precise. He landed every blow and managed to dodge every attack directed at him. He was impressive—too impressive. Was he supernatural? No—Rei would have sensed any celestial powers he had, wouldn't she? No. He was just normal. He was just an average guy. He was struck in the face by the youma's hammer of a fist—a fist that then detached from the youma's body and flew directly toward her.

Rei saw the creature's fist fly at her. She heard the young man shout, "No!" as he darted in her direction. She felt the force with which the clay hammer connected with her forehead. She knew the heat of the young man's arms when he caught her just before her body hit the ground. She caught the look of panic in his endearing eyes. Then darkness came, and washed all of it away.

* * *

><p>Several minutes prior, Ami and Michiru were in the temple's kitchen, searching for a first aid kit to tend to the cut on Kunzite's, or Kurama's, face.<p>

"Are you sure it's in here?" Michiru asked, opening a cabinet door to reveal a series of cereal bowls. "I'm not seeing anything."

"It's here somewhere," Ami replied, opening a drawer. "I had to use it the time Rei-chan threw a lit candle at Yuuichiro-san after he walked in on her in the shower."

Michiru closed the cabinet door and moved on to the next. "What ever happened to him, anyway?"

"He asked her to marry him and she turned him down," Ami replied with a hint of sorrow. She always liked Yuuichiro-san. Sure, he was shaggy and aloof, but he was kind-hearted and always respected everyone around him. It was a shame that his heart was broken the way it was. Hopefully he'd be able to find a girl who'd accept his care the way Rei-chan never could. "He couldn't be around her after that, so he left the temple. He sent me a postcard from Kamakura a while ago, but that's all I've heard from him."

"I see," Michiru replied. "That's a shame."

Ami nodded. "Yeah, I feel sorry for him."

Michiru closed the cabinet door and walked around the counter, stopping in front of Ami. "Ami-chan, Zoicite has been contacted. Luna and Artemis are with him now."

Ami tensed at the general's name. She kept her eyes down. "Oh?"

"He remembers," Michiru said pointedly.

"That's…" Ami swallowed. "That's good..."

Her last words were a lie. It wasn't good. The only thing she knew about this man was that his hitokage had tried to kill her and her friends along with numerous innocent people—and she still wasn't sure it was a clone. What if Rei-chan was right? What if it really was he who had done all those bad things and he'd found his way back from the dead somehow? Stranger things had happened.

"He wants to meet you," Michiru said.

"Found it," Ami replied, ignoring the question. She pulled the first aid kit from the drawer and opened it. "I should have everything I need here. Let's get back to Kurama-san."

"Do you want to meet him?" Michiru pressed.

'I really don't want to have this conversation,' Ami thought. 'I don't want to think about a man I might have been engaged to, who might also be the enemy.'

"Ami-chan?"

A smile sigh escaped Ami's lips. 'Please, just drop it, Michiru-san.' She nervously dropped the small white box. The bottle of hydrogen peroxide slipped out and spilled on the floor. Happy for an excuse to get away from her wavy-haired companion, Ami ran to the other side of the room and grabbed a roll of paper towels.

Michiru followed. Taking the paper towels from Ami's shaking hand, she walked back to the spill and wiped it up. "Do you want to meet him?" she repeated without looking up.

'Why?' Ami wanted to ask. 'Why meet with a man when my insecurities about being engaged to him will only get the best of me? When my girl over not remembering who his is will prevent me from saying anything? When I don't know what to say in the first place?'

"…Rei-chan wouldn't like it," she responded instead. It was a good scapegoat, and certainly wasn't a lie. Ami would rather go a lifetime without talking to his man than to hurt one of her friends—her friends were everything.

"Forget about Rei," Michiru replied. She rose her perceptive eyes up to meet Ami's. "What do you want?"

'I want you to drop it.' Ami brought her thumb to her mouth and chewed on the nail. Michiru-san's stare was so intense it was impossible to look away. 'I don't want to think about this anymore. That's what I want.'

"Girls!" Minako's voice boomed and broke the staring match as she ran into the room. Michiru and Ami whipped their heads toward the doorway.

"Girls," Minako repeated. "We have a problem." She ran back into the hall. Michiru dropped the soggy paper towel and ran after her. Ami, both glad to be finished with the conversation but fearful over what Minako-chan was so excited about, hesitantly followed them both.

Minako led them to the temple's main entrance where the rest of the Senshi were waiting and talking animatedly amongst themselves. Kurama and Mamoru took turns forcefully ramming their shoulders into the door as Usagi urged them on. No matter how hard the two men rammed the door, they couldn't break through.

"What's going on?" Ami asked.

"There's a youma outside of the temple," Makoto replied. "And we can't get the door to open."

Ami's mind instantly went to a single thought. "Rei-chan!"

"She's out there alone," Makoto replied.

"It gets worse," Minako said, holding up Rei's transformer. "She left this inside."

Pushing through the wall of shouting Senshi, Ami made it to the door. She jumped back after touching it and shook her burning hand.

"It feels as if it's on fire!" she exclaimed.

"That's because, technically, it is," Setsuna replied.

"Huh?"

Setsuna pointed at the door. "Look."

Mamoru and Kurama continued to slam their shoulders against the hard wood slab. Whenever they connected with it small sparks ignited around them.

Ami shook her head. "I don't understand, Setsuna-san."

"The Metronome has surrounded the temple with a barrier that is powered by the element of fire," Setsuna explained. "In the past life he held power over the six primary elements of earth, air, fire, water, light and dark. He was able to create barriers infused with those elements—barriers that only a welder of that specific element could penetrate."

"Meaning Rei-chan," Ami concluded.

"Exactly," Setsuna nodded. "Given that she's trapped outside and her ability to transform is trapped inside we're…"

"Screwed," Haruka finished.

After Ami asked why they didn't transform to amplify the chance of breaking through the barrier, Minako explained that they'd already tried, but the barrier was inhibiting their powers of transformation. Ami tried to quell the shake in her right knee. It didn't work. Her pulse raced and her throat tightened. What were they going to do? How were they going to get to Rei-chan before…before…

"Wait! There's someone else out there!" Setsuna shouted. The Senshi, Mamoru and Kurama all stopped and looked at her. "It's faint. The barrier's too strong to tell who…but I sense good inside of them, and much strength."

"But who?" Makoto asked. "Another general?"

"I can't be sure," Setsuna replied. "The barrier's partially blocking my senses."

'Zoicite?' Ami wondered, not knowing how she felt about that possibility. 'Michiru-san did say that he remembered…'

"I have a feeling I know who it is," Haruka replied cryptically. She pressed a hand against the door, ignoring the heat and sparks. "He should be able to buy us some time. In the meantime, let's keep working on getting this door open and transforming. The Metronome's strong, but he can't keep all of us in here forever."

A collective nod. Mamoru and Kurama went back to ramming the door. The young women in the room repeatedly shouted their transformation phrases with repeatedly, each time with more vigor. As Ami continued to call upon the powers of Mercury she couldn't help but feel torn about who was on the other side of that door. If it was Zoicite, would she be relieved to see him, or even more uncomfortable than she was now?

'No, can't think about that now,' she thought. 'We have to get to Rei-chan. That's all that matters.' Ami put the thoughts of Zoicite out of her head, called upon the powers of Mercury again, and prayed this time they would respond.

* * *

><p>"No!" Ranma shouted as the creature's clay fist flew at the young woman on the other side of the temple's courtyard. He broke contact with the beast and ran toward her with all the speed he could manage. There to catch her just before her body hit the ground, he slid to his knees and wrapped his arms around her. She watched him for a moment with sharp, lavender eyes that studied him as if he were a foreign animal. There was a warmth to her eyes, a reassuring heat like a hearty fire on a winter's night. When they closed that heat was replaced by a disappointed chill in his chest.<p>

"Hey," he said with a forced air of calm, then a louder "Hey!" when she didn't reply.

A storm of concern, frustration and anger raged within Ranma. As rude as he'd been to this girl, he was a proper gentleman in the end—and proper gentlemen do not let helpless young women fall victim to cruel and unusual monsters such as the one moving toward him. He took off his shirt and placed it under the young woman's head, resting her on the ground, and stood.

"Picked the wrong place and time, buddy," he said and thrust his fist into the monster's forehead.

A chunk of the head flew off but, as it did before, it squiggled back up to the creature and became a part of it again. Ranma landed several more blows. Each time, a piece of the monster would separate and then rejoin it. He even tried ripping one of its limbs completely off to no avail. The limb turned to liquid in his hands, spilled out and traveled back to the monster.

Ranma cursed under his breath. 'How exactly am I supposed to kill this thing when it just keeps pulling itself back together?' Another swinging hammer came in Ranma's direction. He dodged easily, but didn't see the creature's second arm swing from the other direction. The impact threw Ranma off his feet and sent him flying in the air. His body slammed into a tree several yards back, cracking it in two.

Despite the impact, he didn't feel too much pain and was able to right himself and run back toward the monster quickly. He swung at it again. The monster put its fist forward and connected with Ranma's punch. Ranma's hand careened into the clay hammer and got stuck. With its other fist the creature directed several punches at Ranma's head, each one coming at him quicker than the last.

Ranma was able to dodge some of the attacks, but the monster randomly rotated between swinging at Ranma's face and sternum, making it impossible for Ranma to block them all. On their own the blows weren't very forceful, but Ranma knew that if this cycle continued he'd likely have cracked ribs or a broken cheek soon.

He moved his arm away from his face and took the next hit directly. Straightening his hand, he took a hit to the chest as he sliced his way through the arm holding onto Ranma's other hand. The slice cut straight through the limb of clay. He fell back, taking the hammer-hand with him. Instantly, it curled away from him and returned to the creature.

'This thing just won't die!'

Unsure of what to do next, Ranma leapt back. His chest fell as if it would collapse soon. His right eye was swollen shut. He had to find a way to take this monster down before he was hurt any further. It might go after the girl again, and he couldn't have that—she was far too special.

Wait, was she special? He barely knew her! But something about her presence was…

The monster emitted an ear-piercing screech and lunged again, breaking Ranma of his thoughts. Ranma jumped in the air and circled over the monster, landing behind it. He took another swing at it, this time landing a direct hit on its neck. More clay exploded, only this time the wound didn't heal itself. The clay remained in bits on the ground, unmoved.

The creature screeched again. Ranma paused and took a deep breath. 'Is the neck the key? Do I have to behead it?'

It was worth a shot. This was the first time he'd done any lasting damage to it, after all. Ranma ran back to the cracked tree and found the largest branch he could find. He ripped it away from the man part of the tree and darted toward the creature. He jumped over one swing of the creature's arm and dove underneath another. Leaping up, he thrust the branch into the creature's neck and pushed it through. The head came clean off and fell to the ground. After a moment, the body fell as well.

As a precaution, Ranma kicked the head away from the body and watched it. It remained still and did not squirm back to the rest of the body. He'd done it. The neck was the key. Kneeling down, Ranma sat on the ground and inhaled greedily. When he first saw the creature he'd expected a fight but nothing quite like this. He'd underestimated it, and it'd almost cost him—both his life, and the girl's.

'That's right, the girl!'

He took in a final deep breath and jumped to his feet. Rushing over to the girl he slid down again and leaned over her face. 'Good,' he thought as her warm, methodic breath reached his face several times. 'She's still breathing, at least.'

"Hey," Ranma touched her cheek. "Wake up, princess."

Several more pats to the cheek and her eyes opened—barely, but enough to see a glimmer of confusion.

'Thank God!' he thought, a rush of relief welling in his chest. "Do you know your name?" he asked quickly.

She slowly blinked several times before responding, "Rei..."

"Good, Rei, that's good," he replied, doing his best to reassure her with a warm smile. "Do you know who I am?"

Rei narrowed her eyes and stared at him. "Brain-dead moron," she said.

Ranma frowned. "Guess that rules out amnesia...and the possibility of a date Friday night."

Voices coming from the temple's entrance erupted behind him. Ranma turned to find two men and several young women running toward him, shouting things like, "Rei-chan!" and "Hino-san!" He looked down again to find that her eyes had closed, and a pit of disappointment formed in his stomach when one of the men—tall and black haired—picked her up and hurried toward the main road.

"We have to get her to a hospital!" a short blond with a curious hairstyle shouted, following close behind him. Several of the girls trailed behind him, calling out to Rei and apologizing for not getting to her sooner. Something about a barrier or a force field or some other nonsense.

Three people stayed behind: a young woman with cropped blue hair who bombarded him with a series of medical questions; a stoic, silver haired man who stared at him sternly but said nothing; and—

"You?" Ranma asked, pointing at the tall, short-haired blond from that terrible date, the one where she talked about kingdoms on the moon and talking cats and all sorts of ridiculousness.

She reached out a hand. Tentatively, Ranma grabbed it and allowed her to help him up. Forgetting the others, he locked eyes with her. She let go of his hand and took a step back.

"Still think I'm a crackpot?" she asked.


	4. Chapter 4

The Metronome: Chapter 3

The Hikawa district's newest business was teeming with energy, and Ranma couldn't be happier. Given the saturation of the martial arts market, he was worried his new dojo wouldn't take off. His first class was filled to the brim, however. And what luck! Most of his new pupils were women—rather pretty women. They all said it was for self-defense, the reason they joined. By the way they were all staring at him, Ranma couldn't help but wonder if his new students had a hidden agenda in mind. He didn't care. It just meant more first dates—and last dates—for him.

Class went by pleasantly. Ranma's students were all receptive and eager to learn. Running a dojo and getting back into the martial arts swing of things was a wonderful way to sweat out his negative thoughts, as well. Worries of 'clay youma,' as the Crackpot described them, concerns about being unable to protect an innocent girl and the nightmares of curious encounters bled out of his mind and were replaced by a Zen-like clarity. Oh, and he momentarily forgot about Akane's betrayal, too.

After the class finished and the students bowed out of seated meditation, Ranma collected a cellphone number from a sassy brunette in red pumps with a matching hat and then waved off his final students as they walked out the door. He grabbed a broom from a small closet to the side of the entranceway and proceeded to sweep the workout mat. In Aikido—his choice of style for this class—it's custom for lower-ranked students to clean up and sweep as a sign of respect for their elders and teacher, but Ranma never liked that rule. He enjoyed cleaning. It was a nice way to wrap up and unwind from a healthy training session.

"Nice place," someone said from the lobby. Ranma jumped and dropped the broom.

"Who—" he spun around. "Oh, you."

"Fancy way of greeting a guest," Crackpot said.

"You startled me," Ranma replied, feeling a sudden guilt for being so rude. "I didn't hear the door chime when you walked in."

"That's because I walked in an hour and a half ago," she replied. Crackpot walked over to the mat. She picked up the fallen broom and swept some loose strands of hair off of it. "I sat in the lobby and watched the entire class. Don't tell me you didn't notice."

"Tch." Ranma snatched the broom back. _'I would've noticed if I weren't so busy woman-hunting…'_

He walked to the other side of the mat and swept, eyes pointedly staring at his bare feet. "I'm not interested in your propaganda."

"Saotome," she started off with a forced politeness. "If you'd listen—"

"—No."

Crackpot sighed. "I'm asking for a minute of your time—"

"—I said no."

"Just hear me out and then I'll leave," she said forcedly. "This is import—"

Ranma threw the broom to the floor. "I said NO!"

Silence crept in on the coattails of the outburst. Ranma took in a calming breath, counted four more of them, then picked up the broom. As he swept he kept his eyes downward, wanting anything but to look at the woman casting a shadow over the mat.

"We were friends once," she said, breaking the uncomfortable quiet. "The best of. Fought together. Nearly died together loads of times."

"I don't remember that," Ranma replied absently. _'And I don't want to.'_

"I know," she said, her voice slightly solemn. "You looked a lot different back then, you know. Acted different, to some extent. You were cocky, sure, but nowhere near as much as you are now."

"That was the past." The broom swished against the mat. "And I'm still not convinced there even _was_ a past and that you aren't a total crackpot, Crackpot."

"Haruka," she said bluntly.

"Whatever."

_Swish. Swish, swish._

Haruka walked over and pulled the broom from Ranma's hands. "You saw the evidence with your own eyes, Saotome Ranma. Besides, you used to be cursed. Why is believing in the supernatural so difficult for you?"

Ranma paused. "How do you know about my curse?"

She swept. "It was Setsuna-san who cured you."

"The brunette you introduced me to the other night after the attack?" Ranma shook his head. "No, that couldn't have been her. The woman who cured my curse was an old shaman lady with green hair."

"She recently dyed her hair brown as a requirement for a public job she took. And, as I explained, she's a master of time. If she wants to age herself to trick someone, she can."

"Why disguise herself, then?"

"Because you weren't ready for the truth." _Swish, swish._ "It seems you still aren't."

The swish of the broom suddenly became unbearable. Ranma snatched it away and walked to the closet. "Why are you here?"

"We need you, Saotome," Haruka replied. "_She_ needs you."

At the word _'She,'_ Ranma stopped and turned. "Who, Rei? From the crowd of people I met at the other night's events I have a feeling her security detail is already covered."

Haruka let out a heavy sigh. "You wouldn't have said that in the past life."

"I'm saying it in _this_ life," he snapped. Thoughts of the young woman flooded him, leaving a harsh emptiness in his chest. "That's all that matters."

"Aren't you the least bit interested in who you were?" she redirected.

_'Honestly, I'm not the least bit interested in who I am,'_ he thought, putting away the broom. "No."

Another heavy sigh. "I can see there's no persuading you, then. If you aren't going to help, at least stop by and pay her a visit. She's at Tokyo General."

The closet door snapped shut. He whipped around. "She's…still in the hospital?"

She nodded. "Room 413."

With guilt choking away his words, Ranma chewed on his lower lip and turned away.

"I texted you my information," she replied. Ranma's phone chimed on the lobby's counter. "In case you reconsider."

"How do you know my…" he turned around to find that Haruka the Crackpot was gone. "…Number…"

Thoughts of the attack on Rei filled Ranma with a cold guilt. If only he'd been faster, she wouldn't be in the hospital right now. Maybe he _should_ visit her. It was the gentlemanly thing to do, after all. And after being so rude to her and nearly killing her, being a gentleman felt proper. Yes, he'd pop in, say a quick hello and be done with it.

Ranma's phone chimed again. He walked to the lobby and picked it up. There was a text on the home screen that read, _'Her favorite flowers…' _It was accompanied by an image of some sort of white Asiatic lily.

_'How does she know I'm even going to go?' _he thought testily. He wasn't a fan of people assuming they knew his next move. That was a taboo in the martial arts world: one must always be several steps ahead of their enemy, not several steps behind. The problem here was that she did know his next move, right up to the flowers.

_'Might have to stay close to this one,'_ he thought as he put his shoes on. After grabbing his phone and locked the dojo's front door, he added Haruka's number to his 'favorites' list. He'd keep the crackpot's number and maybe even humor her request for him to learn more about the 'past life,' just to make sure she and her friends weren't a threat to _him. _After everything he'd been through, Ranma knew he needed to be cautious of those around him, especially those who were trying to get too close. He didn't need another Kuno, another Saffron or—and he tried to remind himself of this as the memory of the sweet scent of Rei's hair consumed his thoughts—another Akane.

_'Remember, Ranma, you're just saying 'hello,' and 'I'm sorry.' That's it.' _Ranma walked down the street and headed toward the nearest florist. _'I'll just buy a couple of flowers, not a bouquet.' _He knew he needed to keep the common wench at arm's length despite offering her such a warm gesture. What he did not know was that all of the white Asiatic lilies had already been purchased by a silver-haired man—a man who was also aiming to visit room 413 at Tokyo General Hospital.

* * *

><p>Ami didn't like the idea of having a Senshi meeting at <em>Rei's<em> temple without _Rei_, but given the events of the other night it couldn't wait. She'd just stop by Rei's hospital room after the meeting and catch her up to speed.

_'I hope they let her out soon,'_ she thought. _'Then again, that concussion was pretty bad…'_

"Usagi-chan, Minako-chan! Get out of Rei-chan's cloest!" Makoto's shouting interrupted Ami's thoughts. The three of them and Ami were in Rei's room. Ami sat at Rei's desk while Makoto took her trademark place on Rei's bed and Usagi and Minako took their trademark place sifting through Rei's wardrobe.

"We can't help it!" Minako squealed, holding up a green sequenced dress. "She has so many cute things!"

"Get serious," Makoto snapped, ripping the dress away. She set it down on the bed beside her and scowled in a very un—'Makoto-like' way. Ami made a mental note to ask her friend why she was so tense later. "Where are the other outers?"

"Tending to other business," Minako said after a pout. "Luna and Artemis are still overseas, as well."

"What are they doing so far from home?" Ami asked.

"Not sure," Usagi replied, reaching into Rei's closet again. Makoto threw a pillow at her. "Hey! I was just looking!"

"You were just plotting to steal Rei-chan's clothing is what you were doing."

"Was not!"

"Were too!"

"Was not!"

"Were—"

"Should we get started?" Kurama interrupted abruptly, leaning against the doorway. "Time is ticking."

Makoto and Usagi dropped their heads and apologized, while Minako quietly slipped a black and white striped blouse behind her back. Ami questioned two things: first, why was Makoto snapping at their leader? She was always so even tempered when it came to Usagi. She really _would_ have to have a chat with her later.

Second, how long had Kurama, or Kunzite, or whatever he wanted to be called, been there? He certainly was commanding, what with the way he stood so straight even when leaning against something. Kurama was handsome, yes, with his straight face and critical eyes. It wasn't his looks that drew Ami in, though: it was his presence. He carried himself the way Ami believed a leader should. Even without knowing him, it was difficult not to follow him.

Usagi took a seat on the bed with Makoto and Minako…

"Minako-chan!" Makoto yelled as Minako stood a little too close to Kurama. "Don't stand so close to him. We still aren't sure if he's the enemy."

"It's fine," Minako waved her off. "Kurama-san and I had a conversation last night over pie. It was…nice."

"Are you blushing?" Makoto asked. "I don't like this, Minako-chan. I don't like it one bit."

"Give her a break, Mako-chan," Usagi said. "She remembers more than we do, and they talked it over. Maybe he isn't as bad as you think he is."

"I'll be the judge of that," Makoto replied in a low tone.

"I understand your hesitation, Kino-san," Kurama said evenly. "I, too, would be suspicious of someone who I only knew as a murderer. However, I assure you that I mean you no harm. I am here to answer questions about the Metronome, that's all. I'll leave you be once I've provided you with as much information as possible."

Ami sat in awe at the smoothness and the convincing nature of Kurama. How calm he was—it put her at ease. It seemed to put Makoto slightly at ease, as well. She leaned back and nodded, her face slightly less skewed with suspicion.

"Please begin," Makoto said.

"Right," Kurama replied. "I assume you all remember the destruction of the Moon Kingdom at Queen Beryl's hands, yes?"

"I remember that much," Makoto replied.

"Me too," Ami agreed.

"Did you not wonder why she was able to take down an entire solar system so easily? Amazing power-houses such as yourselves filled the planets one thousand years ago and she wiped them out in only a few years."

"I never thought about it," Minako said. "I just assumed she was strong enough to destroy everything and everyone."

"She wasn't," Kurama replied. "She was nowhere near strong enough to defeat one of the strongest solar systems in the galaxy. She merely rode in on the Metronome's tail. He was the one to eradicate most of the solar system. Once he was gone, she simply took the opportunity to finish the job."

"There was someone stronger than Beryl?" Makoto asked.

"Indeed. Much, much stronger. The Metronome made Queen Beryl look like a magician with a rabbit under her hat. He was the greatest threat to the solar system—the universe, in fact."

"So Queen Beryl _didn't_ completely destroy the Moon Kingdom," Minako added. "From what Kurama-san explained, she took advantage of it at its weakest."

For a while, the girls said nothing. Ami wondered if they were all thinking what she was thinking: how would they defeat a threat so much greater than Beryl, the one who'd killed four of their own?

"You say 'he's back,'" Makoto said after a while. "What happened to him in the first place? How was he defeated?"

"The powers of the solar system united and banished him using all of our powers and resources. That's why we were so susceptible to Beryl's attack; most of our celestial powers were drained when we sealed the Metronome away to the other side of the universe," Kurama explained.

"Then why can't we banish him again?" Usagi asked.

"We don't have leagues of soldiers and monarchs with magical powers anymore," Kurama replied. "There simply aren't enough resources available to send him away."

"Besides, we don't know who he is, where he is, or how strong he may have become over the past thousand years," Minako added. "He's like an entirely new enemy."

Ami bit her lip. "His ability to negate all of our abilities to transform has me worried. How are we going to defeat or even just fight him if we can't access our powers?"

"I don't believe he has the ability to seal our powers, mine included," Kurama said. "I surmise he possesses some ability that allows him to prevent the actual transformation. So long as we can anticipate this 'barrier' of his and transform into our true selves prior to him putting it up, we will be able to access our abilities and fight him on a stronger, and hopefully united, front."

"We don't all have the strongest sensing abilities the way Rei-chan and Setsuna-san do," Makoto replied. "How are we to know when he's going to use one of these 'barriers' on us?"

"Fortunately, we have an expert in the ways of spiritual training. I believe he's already arrived in Japan."

A chill ran down Ami's spine. She remembered the general with the most psychic ability. His name was…

"Zoicite," Minako said. "It's Zoicite, isn't it?"

He nodded. "Zoicite trained under the Princess Mars in the Moon Kingdom. He has an uncanny ability to sense the supernatural and is an excellent instructor. Even I stand to learn a thing or two from him."

"So, now you expect us to trust two of you?" Makoto stood up. "I've heard enough. I'm leaving."

"Mako-chan, wait!" Usagi grabbed her sleeve. "We haven't even scratched the surface of things! And you seemed so interested in what Kurama-san had to say the last time he spoke. What changed?"

"It's fine," Kurama said, breaking the tension. "This is enough information for today. I'll give you all time to process what I've told you. We can reconvene and discuss the implications of the Metronome's return tomorrow."

Makoto shook her sleeve free of Usagi's grip and walked to the door, shoulder-checking Kurama on his way out. Minako called for her, but Kurama told her to leave Makoto be—that she needed time to process the information she had been given. Solemnly, Minako agreed. Ami did not miss the fact that the two touched hands for a moment.

After thanking the remaining girls for their time, Kurama turned to leave.

"Please wait a moment," Ami said. "I have one further question."

Kurama stopped. "Of course, Mizuno-san."

"What made him lash out in the first place? Why did he attack?"

"He was driven insane," Kurama said.

"By what reason?" Ami asked.

"By the same reason many men are driven insane," he replied. "Unrequited love."

* * *

><p>Hospital room 413 was unseasonably chilly for this time of year, and for Hino Rei's taste. The fire within her liked things warm and crisp, not cool and uninviting. She'd asked the nurse to do something about the aircon in the room, but the woman said something about the HVAC being on the fritz for the entire hospital and humbly apologized for not being able to do anything about it.<p>

A knock at the door pulled Rei from the action novel she was reading. Her head hurt and she was tired and frustrated by being stuck in bed, so she looked up with every intent to tell her visitor to go away. When she saw who was at the doorway, those thoughts quickly receded.

"Ken-san?" she asked, trying to suppress the sudden flush in her cheeks. "What are you doing here?

The tall, silver-haired man dressed in a sharp black suit smiled gently and walked into the room. He revealed a bouquet of white lilies similar to the one he had given her after the first time she was attacked—the time she'd saved him from that clay youma.

"I stopped by the temple to visit you and your grandfather told me you were 'mugged.' I had a feeling there was more to it then that, so I wanted to stop by and make sure you were safe. Not that I could do much of anything if you weren't…"

Ken's voice trailed off. Rei felt guilty over this. Sure, he wasn't much help in that fight against the youma and almost got her killed, but he was only a mortal man. No mortal could ever go up against a creature like that and survive. Well, except for that brain-dead moron…

_'Don't go there, Rei,'_ she thought. _'Just forget about that idiot.'_

"I—I brought you these," Ken said hastily, handing her the flowers. "I know they're the same as last time, but you seemed to enjoy those so much—"

"No, no, they're lovely!" Rei exclaimed, taking the bouquet eagerly. "Thank you, you really didn't have to do this."

"My pleasure, Hino-san," he replied.

Rei blushed. He was so polite, so formal, such a proper gentleman. There was something about him, something that made her drop her guard. It was curious, not instantly resenting a man for merely talking to her. She was so accustomed to turning down proposals and giving men the cold shoulder. But something about the sincerity in this man's piercing silver eyes…

"Are you all right, Hino-san?" he said.

"I—I'm fine!" she said once she realized she was staring. "Just…very thankful for and a little overwhelmed by the gift."

"Surely with your beauty you receive gifts like this on a regular basis?" Ken asked. "A woman like you should be treasured, Hino-san."

There was no quelling the heightened tingling of Rei's stomach. _'Now I know why they call them butterflies…' _"Please, Hino-san is too formal. Rei is fine."

"As is Ken-_san_," he said. "I'll take it as a personal offence if you do not call me Ken-_kun_ from now on."

She laughed—it felt good. Men never made her laugh. "I'm not sure we're at the _'kun'_ stage just yet. How about just 'Ken' as a compromise?"

"Compromise accepted," he said pleasantly, taking a seat in the chair next to the bed. "Mind telling me what happened, then? Was it another one of those monster things?"

Rei paused. She didn't want to tell him too much and was worried that if she got too comfortable in telling him the details—and given how endearing his eyes were she just might—she might let it slip about her true self. The feeling of being powerless was also too much to think about at the moment, remembering how lost she felt caused a shake in her hand. "I—it pretty much hit me in the head the moment I saw it. I don't remember anything after that. So far no one has told me what happened to it."

"You're really upset about this, aren't you?" Ken asked. He leaned forward and squeezed her shaking hand. "Here, let's change the subject. What book are you reading? What's it about?"

"Oh, it's an old one. 'Rainbow Six,'" Rei replied excitedly. After a few minutes of explaining the book's premise, she forgot about the hollow feeling of being helpless and lost herself in casual conversation.

From his place in the wooden chair, 'Ken' the Metronome smiled—but not because he was interested in what the Princess Mars had to say. He smiled because of the ease with which he was gaining her trust. Putting himself in danger and allowing her to 'take care of him' had paid off. Sheltering him from his own youma created a bond between the two—a bond that was quickly turning concrete. Several more visits, a few endearing smiles and all the flowers he could find would certainly make her affection for him complete. Time and patience was all he needed. Fortunately for him, he was a master at both.

It'd be so easy, though, to reach forward and snap her little neck. Part of him craved for it desperately. But there would be little satisfaction in destroying her before he had the chance to make her suffer. Killing her now would be too easy. Timing was key.

The Metronome watched the girl who'd once driven him mad with desire and smiled.

_'You'll be mine before you know it,'_ he thought pleasantly, suppressing the urge to lick his lips. _'I'll make you want me the way you never did in the past life. I'll toy with you. I'll hurt you. I'll use you to draw –him- out. And then, once you love me so much that it shatters his heart, I'll devour you…I'll devour you all.'_

Ken's ears perked. He narrowed his eyes in concentration. An opportunity had presented itself. The Princess Mercury was close—she must have been coming to visit. His smiled widened: she was alone. He took his attention off the Princess Mars for a moment and looked out the window.

Fantastic. A park. He concentrated further. A wealth of clay erupted from the earth and warped into something human-like. He ordered it to follow the Princess Mercury and strike.

_'I must lure Zoicite out in order to take my revenge on them all. Attacking his fiancee should do it.'_

"Ken?" Rei asked.

The Metronome shook his head. "Yes?"

"Are you all right?" she asked with a look of concern. "You suddenly seem distant."

"Oh, no, I'm sorry," he squeezed her hand. "I was just thinking about something…for work. I'm fine, now. Please, continue."

Rei did continue happily discussing the book's contents. As he watched her he was reminded of his more intimate moments with the Princess Mars and how her stories always warmed him. For a moment, a brief moment, the thousand-year-old desire to kiss her returned. The moment quickly fleeted, replaced by the overwhelming thirst to devour her.

_'Patience, patience,'_ he reminded himself. _'It'll be no fun if –he- isn't awake to watch me do it…'_


	5. Chapter 5

The Metronome: Chapter 4

Mizuno Ami knew her suspicions about being followed were valid when said follower flagged her down in front of a fruit stand. The excitedly waving man with the curly-blond hair sent an angst through Ami; Rei-chan had been on several tirades recently about the rising population of perverts in downtown Tokyo and Ami feared that she was now staring at one a bit too closely. She wanted to run, possibly find a place to transform, but that would be impolite. Certainly, there was a high probability that this man was, to use Rei-chan's words, a 'skeevy perv.' He might also be a concerned citizen, though. Maybe she'd dropped her wallet and he was returning it to her. Maybe she had toilet paper stuck to the bottom of her shoe. Maybe…

"Thank you for stopping," he huffed, out of breath. "I was worried you wouldn't hear me over the crowd."

"You're welcome?" Ami responded. She didn't mean to phrase it as a question; her nerves had the better of her.

The man leaned over and took in several more deep breaths. "You're a quick walker, you are. I had to run down two blocks once I caught sight of you, just to catch up."

"I'm sorry?"

She mentally kicked herself for making her response a question _again_.

"You…" he stood upright and squinted. "You're different than I remember you…yet, somehow, so similar."

_'Say what?'_ Ami thought with alarm. _'How does this man remember me when we've never met before?'_

A pervert. A peeping Tom! Rei-chan was right. He must have been. That'd explain how he 'knew' her without her knowing _him._

"I…I have…" Ami reached into her jacket pocket. "I have a r—rape whistle…"

Several passersby stopped and stared. One man asked if she was all right. Ami swallowed, nodded and apologized for any inconvenience she may have caused. She didn't want to cause a scene or concern random citizens who likely had busy lives and other things to attend to, she just wanted to alert this potential pervert that she could, in fact, 'blow the whistle on him' if the need presented itself.

And what a whistle it was.

Compliments of the man-hating Rei-chan, Ami's whistle was spiritually linked to her friend. One toot of that thing and the Senshi of Mars would know exactly where Ami was and what, or who, she was up against. Ami didn't want to use it unless absolutely necessary—first, she didn't want to disturb her friend; second, she didn't want to unleash her friend on a potentially innocent man—so she hoped this oval faced stranger was just that: _innocent._

Said stranger stood in shock, his mouth slightly ajar. Ami instantly felt sorry for embarrassing the man and extended a profuse apology.

"No—no worries," he replied with an expression that was both nervous and forgiving. "I suppose I came on somewhat strong. I should probably be the one apologizing."

_'Great, I made him feel guilty.'_ The knot in Ami's stomach tightened.

"I'll take your silence as an affirmation of that," he said with a flustered look.

"No—no!" Ami replied quickly. "It isn't that. I just—I feel bad for calling you out and embarrassing you in public like that. You seem…" There was something about the softness of his eyes… "Nice enough…"

Relief washed over his features. He stood a little straighter. "Good, good, then. A proper gentleman should never upset a lady. Name's Benedict, by the way." He dusted off his hand and held it out.  
>"Ben, if you like."<p>

"Ami," she replied, though she refrained from shaking his hand; she still wasn't sure about his intentions. "Can—can I help you with something?"

"Uhm, well…" Ben paused and looked at his shoes. "Not quit…errr…" His cheeks flushed. "I guess…how do I put this?" He nervously picked at his thumbnail. "I just...wanted to introduce myself and see if you…perhaps, if I'm lucky, remember me?"

His words caused Ami great guilt. He sounded so sincere. Perhaps he wasn't a felon, but simply a man she'd encountered at some point who she'd completely forgotten about._ 'That's rude of me,' _she thought, wringing her hands. _'This man knows me and here I am unable to remember his face…'_

"There you are!" a familiar voice called. Ami turned her head.

"Hotaru-chan?" she asked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Hello, Ami-chan!" Hotaru said brightly, then turned to Ben. "I thought I told you to stay put. No running off!"

"I'm sorry!" Ben replied. "I—I couldn't help myself."

"I told you she isn't ready, Benny-kun," Hotaru scolded. "So did Kurama-kun."

Ami stopped wringing her hands. She sucked in her breath. _'Ku…rama-kun? Does that mean he's…'_

Wait. The curly hair. The piercing eyes. The similar bone structure…

"Zoicite?" she asked quietly.

He nodded.

Ami's mobility came to a grinding halt. She couldn't run. She couldn't shout for help. She could do nothing but stare until the screaming began and Ben grabbed her and Hotaru and threw them both to the ground.

"Look out!"

It all occurred in a whirl and a blur. A clay-like hammer flew past them, missing Ben's head by inches. Ami hit the ground next to Hotaru. Ben covered them both protectively as another hammer sped past. Screeching resounded above. The sound of it grew steadily closer. All around people slammed into each other as they tried to get away, causing a mass of intertwined arms and limbs to bar any way from getting out.

_'Oh no!' _Ami thought in a panic.' _I can't transform here under all these people. And this Ben person isn't moving! Now what? How do I get away from this guy?'_

Then Rei-chan's man hating ways came to mind.

_'That's right!' _Ami reached into her pocket. _'The whistle!'_

Rei-chan was still in the hospital and would be of no help, but at least she'd be able to notify the other Senshi. Ami grabbed the whistle, put it to her lips and blew.

"Woah!" Ben shouted. "What's that for at a time like this? I'm not trying to be a pervert here. I'm trying to protect you!"

"It isn't for you, Benny-kun," Hotaru corrected. "She's summoning the others. Now, if you'd be a proper gentleman and let us up, I'd like to transform and save the day, already."

Benedict nodded and helped both Ami and Hotaru to their feet.

* * *

><p><em>'Should I go in?'<em> Ranma thought, staring at the door to hospital room 413. _'I don't know if I want to…'_

_'Yes, you do,'_ that little voice in the back of his head chimed in. _'So turn the knob and walk in.'_

Ranma reached for the knob, then paused mid-grasp when a second voice said, _'No. You really don't. Think of the consequences.'_

_'What consequences?'_ the first voice called. _'You're just paying a visit to a hurt girl. A very pretty hurt girl, I might add.'_

_'That's the problem!' _the second voice said. _'Girl's like her are nothing but trouble. Remember Akane—'_

_'—Don't bring her up.' _

_"Okay, okay. But still. She's a shrew, if you recall. Do you really want to waste time on a girl you aren't going to get anything from?'_

_'It's just saying hello!'_

_'It's wasting time!'_

_'She's worth a visit!'_

_'No, she really isn't!'_

_'BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP THIS INSTANT!' _Ranma wanted to shout at his battling thoughts. He paced back and forth in quick circles. _"Stupid thoughts. Stupid door…Stupid florist for having nothing but daisies!"_

The door swung open and nearly knocked Ranma in the head.

"Excuse me," said an elegantly dressed, silver-haired man. "Almost hit you there."

"No—" Something about this man… "W—Worries."

The two stared at each other for an uncomfortable moment before the man asked, "Are you here to visit Hino Rei?"

"Yeah, I mean—no!" Ranma shuffled his feet. "I mean, I guess…but it's not like _that_."

"I see," the man replied stoically. "I'll leave you to it, then. By the way, nice…flowers." He walked away, grazing Ranma's shoulder unapologetically in the process.

Ranma looked at his bouquet of daisies, slightly ashamed. There was nothing special about them, nothing grandiose like those lilies Haruka recommended. They were all the florist had left, though—and it's the thought that counts, right? He took in a deep breath, hid the flowers behind his back and walked into the room.

"Y—you?" Rei instantly asked with a surprised expression. "What are you doing here?"

He pulled the flowers from behind his back. "I brought you these fl-" then he caught sight of the beautiful array of lilies on her bedside table. "Oh."

"Thank you..." Rei said, her voice alight with a slight confusion. "That's...unexpected of you."

"How do you mean?" Ranma asked defensively.

"Well," Rei paused. "You were such a jerk the first time we met, I didn't think you could be this kind."

"I _did_ just save your life," Ranma growled. "You could be a little more, you know, grateful."

Rei exhaled deeply and pointed to the chair by her bed. "You're right. I'm sorry. Please, have a seat."

Sliding the chair over, Ranma took a seat and sheepishly handed Rei the flowers. A smile hit her lips for just a moment, then faded, causing Ranma a slight dejection.

"You didn't have to do this," she said quietly. "Come here, bring me these."

His defenses spiked again. "If you're so against me being here," he snapped, reaching for the flowers. "I'll just go, then."

"No, no!" Rei replied, hugging the flowers to her chest. "I didn't mean it like that. I just…didn't expect you, is all."

He retracted his hand. "You think I'm not a gentleman?"

Rei's eyes widened. "I didn't say that!"

"You think I can't be proper to a hot girl?"

"Stop putting words in my mo—" Rei paused and narrowed her eyes. "Wait a minute, hot girl? Is that why you're here, to get a number or something?"

This time, Ranma's eyes were the ones to widen. "I didn't say that!"

"You're not here for my well-being. You're here for my body!"

"I most certainly am not!" he bit his lower lip. "Well, maybe just a little…"

The flowers hit Ranma's face with a fierce _smack!_

"Out!"

"Now hold on just a second!" he jumped out of his chair. "I paid good money for those flowers! Well…maybe not good—but it's the thought that counts!"

Rei smacked him again with what was left of the bouquet. "What don't you get about 'out,' you brain-dead moron?"

"Common wench!" Ranma snatched the rest of the broken flowers. "Why are you so infuriating?"

She snatched them back. "Because you're infuriating first! In my life I have never—"

Rei stopped mid-sentence. Her eyes grew large. She shot forward so quickly she lost her balance and swooned. Ranma leapt forward and caught her by the shoulders shoulders.

"Hey, hey," he said, his frustration fading behind a newfound concern. "You have a head injury. You shouldn't be jumping around like that."

"Ami-chan!" Rei shouted, pushing against him. She thrust the hospital blanket off and prepared to stand.

"What are you doing, idiot?" Ranma pushed her back against the pillow. "Lay back down!"

"I can't. My friend needs me," Rei argued, still struggling. "I have to get to Ami-chan!"

"I said lay down!" Ranma growled. His confusion overwhelmed him at this point. He didn't understand how he could dislike a person so much yet be so concerned for her safety at the same time. And given his newfound distrust of the female persuasion, he didn't know how he could be concerned for her, at all. "Look, if it's so important to you, I'll go help this 'Ami-chan' of yours. Okay?"

"You—" Rei looked at him hesitantly. "You can't handle what she's up against. I have to be the one to—"

"No," he shook his head. "As a gentleman I cannot allow you to put yourself in danger, no matter how infuriating you are. And I think I already proved myself the other night, if you aren't brain-damaged enough to forget. I think I can take care of whatever your friend is up against."

"This is my burden. I won't put you in the middle of it."

"Too late. I was put in the middle of it in the middle of the night at that temple of yours."

"You'll get hurt."

"I'll save the day."

"You might die."

"I might not."

"Tch."

Ranma took Rei's last response as her giving up and let her go. He looked around and frowned. His flowers were decimated. But, wait—there was one on the ground that had avoided Rei's wrath. His ears perked. He picked it up and handed it to her with a lopsided grin. "I hear screams outside of the hospital. I think I already know where to find Ami-chan. Now, if you'll excuse me, this 'brain-dead moron' has some day-saving to do."

"By the way, what's your name?" Rei called as Ranma made his way for the door.

"You—" Ranma jumped and spun around and pointed an accusing finger. "You don't know my name? I save your life and you don't even know my name?"

"_Sorry,_" Rei said sarcastically. "But I was a little too busy nearly getting run over by you, and then nearly _dying_ to learn it."

"You are _so_—" Ranma stopped himself. _'Why am I so ready to fight with this girl all the time?' _"Whatever. Once I shake and bake whatever's making people shout out there you'll never forget the name of Saotome Ranma!"

Ready to exert some frustration through a good fight, Ranma walked out the door. Rei muttered something. Maybe, _'Sorry.'_ Maybe _'Idiot.'_ Maybe both. Whatever she said, Ranma would find this Ami-chan, come to her rescue, and Hino Rei would rue the day she ever called _him_ a brain-dead idiot.

For whatever that was worth.

* * *

><p>Ami ducked behind a flipped over car and transformed into Sailor Mercury. Now that she knew this Ben character was aware of her true self, there was no need to remain in her civilian form. She leapt out of the way before the clay youma threw another car into the one she was hiding behind. There was a bang and a crash as the two vehicles exploded in a series of car parts.<p>

She looked around. Ben and Hotaru were nowhere in sight. Good, maybe Hotaru got Ben away from the scene. He might have been a hero in the past life, but in this one? He couldn't even handle an awkward situation. Ami didn't think he'd be suited to go up against a monster.

With all the assaults launched in her direction, it was clear the youma was targeting her, which wouldn't have been such a problem if a group of bystanders weren't caught between the monster and she. Ami called upon the powers of Mercury and summoned a field of bubbles to flood the area, impeding the monster's vision.

"Run!" she shouted at the crowd. "To the left! To the left!"

A field of people followed her direction and jettisoned the area. The bubbles soon cleared to show that she was alone in the street, the youma charging directly toward her. Before it could reach her, it stopped mid-step. A field of yellow surrounded it and lifted it several feet off the ground. The youma shrieked and wriggled slightly, but could not break free.

"What in the world..." Ami asked in astonishment. Someone called her name from behind the youma. She took a step to the right to find-

"-Zoicite?"

"I prefer Ben these days," he chided, running up to her. "And thank heavens I saw you in time. That thing was coming right for you!"

"What did you do to it?" Ami asked.

"Paralyzed it," Ben replied, looking Ami over. He turned to the youma, which was slowly regaining the use of its limbs. "Look, we need more help. I can hold it off, but not forever. My power was always in inflicting status ailments on opponents. I can paralyze it, poison it, perhaps even put it to sleep…but kill it? I don't know if I have the strength."

"I do," someone said.

Ami spun around. She knew the young main with black hair and a pony tail from somewhere, she just couldn't...

..._'Oh, that's right. He's the one who saved Rei-chan.'_

She almost shouted, "Saotome-san!" but as Sailor Mercury she wasn't supposed to know his name.

However, Ami was stunned when Saotome Ranma asked her, "Are you Ami-chan?"

"I'm-" she swallowed the lump in her throat. Did he know who she really was? And to address her so informally? She decided to play it cool, just in case. "I'm...who?"

"Guess not," he shrugged. Then, "Is Ami-chan ok? Did you see her? Did she get away?"

"I don't know any Ami-chan..." she lied.

Ranma threw his hands in the air. "Look, I'm supposed to find Ami-chan. If I don't, this girl Rei's going to burn off my...gentleman's bits...and I like those bits...so if you're holding out on me, super girl..."

"I-I'm serious!" Ami stuttered, her eyes darting between Ranma, a bewildered Zoicite, and a slowly re-animating youma. "I don't know any Ami-chan. But most of the bystanders have gotten away. But…I'm sure she's safe, wherever she is."

"I guess I'll look for her later, then," he replied, pursing his lips.

_'Good,'_ Ami thought. _'I didn't want to have to use my whistle for a second time today.'_

"Now for this thing. Hey, you." Ranma pointed at Zoicite. "I saw what you did back there. Reckon you're up for helping me obliterate this thing?"

The baffled look on Ben's face instantly faded. He nodded and without another word, the two charged toward the youma. It broke through the yellow forcefield just before they reached it and took a massive swing at Ranma.

The two fought together seamlessly. Was this man a general as well? No, he couldn't be. He didn't look like any of the generals, didn't act like any of them, and his power was completely different from anything Ami'd been up against before. He seemed like a friend, but Ami still had her doubts. What if he was just trying to trick them and intended to attack once their guard was fully down? Maybe Hotaru would know.

Where was Hotaru anyway?

As if she knew she was being called, Hotaru ran up to Ami in her Sailor Saturn form and grabbed her arm. "You okay?" the little girl asked. "I've been looking all over for you!"

"I'm..." Ami couldn't take her eyes off the two men fighting. "Fine."

Hotaru's eyes followed Ami's. "Who is that?"

"We met him at the temple the other night," Ami replied. "He's the one who saved Rei-chan."

"Oh," Hotaru replied. "Right..."

Ben shot a wave of green energy from his hands. It hit the youma's face and evaporated. He growled.

"It's immune to my poison," Ben shouted. "I thought I could slow him down with it."

"Magic tricks aren't going to work on this thing," Ranma called back, dodging a punch. "We need to cut off the head."

"I believe I can assist with that," Hotaru said with a smile. "Ami-chan, Benny-kun, create a diversion. Saotome Ranma, hold it down!"

Everyone nodded. Ami once again summoned a field of bubbles. Ben blasted another shot of yellow energy at it, trapping its arms and legs. Ranma dove to the ground, grabbed it by the feet and pulled, anchoring it there. Hotaru charged forward and called upon her silence glaive. She whipped it around, sending the curved blade directly into the youma's neck. An explosion of clay covered the three as the glaive sliced through.

The youma's head fell off and hit the ground with a 'thud.' The rest of its body dropped and drooped down into a large pool of lifeless clay, covering Ranma.

"Aww come off it!" he shouted, standing up. He shook his arms and legs. "This is expensive silk I'm wearing! Do you know how hard it is to get clay off of silk? I should know! I already tried!"

Ben released the yellow forcefield surrounding the clay and walked over to Ami. For a moment, Ami thought he would raise his hand and touch her cheek, but he didn't.

"Are you all right?" he asked sincerely. "Are you hurt, Sailor Mercury?"

"Forget about her!" Ranma shouted wildly. "Look at my pants. Just look at them! Do you know how much it's going to cost to replace these things? Do you-OWW! Hey quit it!"

Ranma's tirade was suddenly interrupted when Sailor Saturn reached up, grabbed his earlobe, and dragged him away by it.

"Let's go, Benny-kun!" she called, her voice barely audible over Ranma's shouts of, _"Cut it out!"_ and _"This is precious cargo, here!"_

"You should get to the hospital and let Rei-chan know you're all right," Hotaru called to Ami. "She's probably worried sick. Benny-kun, let's go, already!"

Ben regarded Ami for a moment with a look so sorrowful Ami took it to read, _'I don't want to leave you.' _Ben smiled a goofy, affable smiled and turned away, leaving Ami to watch his retreating form. She didn't know how she felt about watching him go. Good? Bad? Somewhere between the two? Whatever the feeling was, it was unwelcome.

_'I don't want to think about this right now,'_ she thought as she usually thought when she wanted to avoid…well….thinking. Ami transformed back to her civilian self and, with shaking hands, pulled out her cellphone. She dialed Minako's number and, after the blond picked up, asked the inner's leader to call a meeting.

The day had been a long one. There was a _lot_ to talk about.


	6. Chapter 6

The Metronome: Chapter 5

"Objection!" Rei shouted. "I will _not_ have men of questionable character stepping on my sacred temple grounds, let alone attending Senshi meetings where all of our personal identities are on the line. It's bad enough you—" she pointed at Setsuna. "—_you_ revealed all of our identities to that Kunzite character already, now another one's popped up? I'll not have him knowing my real name and address, as well!"

Ami cringed. Rei-chan was never so disrespectful as to refer to Setsuna-san as _'you,'_ let alone point an accusing finger at her. It was downright out of character for Rei-chan to be so rude to someone she respected so much. Sure, Rei-chan was crass, but she never acted out against the Outers that way. Ami's heart bled for her friend; for Rei-chan to be this out of line, she was obviously hurting a great deal.

She looked around. All of the Senshi were accounting for, including Mamoru, and nearly all of them looked as if they would jump out and strangle Rei at any moment—save for Mako-chan, that was, who looked equally as venomous.

"How many times do we have to tell you, Rei-chan?" Minako asked, impatiently tapping her finger against Rei's nightstand. "They're on our side, and we need them! Maybe if you just gave them a chance—"

Rei narrowed her eyes. "_Maybe_ if you weren't so busy playing kissy-face with that Kunzite of yours, you'd see this for the mistake that it is!"

"I'm sorry, Rei-chan, but I trust him," Minako replied defiantly. "And he isn't going anywhere."

"Yeah?" Rei snapped. "Then _I_ am."

For the second time in a row, Rei stormed out of a Senshi meeting, _and_ her own room.

Setsuna slapped her forehead. "Can someone please follow her in case she gets attacked again?"

"I will," Makoto said with a disgruntled look. "I don't want to be a part of this any more than she does."

Makoto got off of Rei's bed, grabbed her handbag and walked out the door without another word.

"What's with her?" Minako asked. "She's been acting curious as of late."

"She sought out Neflite," Michiru replied.

"Oh." Minako blinked. "I take it that didn't go well?"

Michiru shook her head. "Apparently his reincarnation is a member of the Yakuza. So there's that to deal with, as well."

"That explains her sudden shift in mood," Ami replied. _'So that's why she's been so upset lately. Mako-chan's a romantic. If she was the least bit looking forward to reuniting with Neflite, her dreams would have been crushed when she found out his true nature.'_

"Setsuna-san, there's something I've been wondering about," Minako redirected. "This Saotome Ranma. He's fought youma without any type of supernatural powers—rather successfully. How is he, let alone anyone, possibly able to do that?"

"Saotome Ranma has led an interesting life up until this point," Setsuna replied. "It has been plagued with the supernatural and he's been training and fighting for a very long time. He's built up a natural brute strength, unparalleled to anything I've seen so far in a civilian."

"Should we bring him into a meeting?" Mamoru questioned. "Find out what he's all about? See if he'll aid us in our fight?"

"That won't happen any time soon," Haruka said, the slightest hint of dejection in her voice. "He has absolutely no interest in getting involved at this point. It's a shame, he'd be a great ally."

Setsuna nodded. "At this rate, we need all the help we can get, including him. We've still no idea how strong the Metronome has become or what he's planning next. Procuring Saotome Ranma as an ally is one of our top priorities."

"It seems we have three main objectives at this point, then," Hotaru said. "Find the Metronome, awaken the other two generals and secure Saotome Ranma as a friend."

"Okay, how do we accomplish these goals, then?" Minako asked. "And when do we get started?"

"Hotaru-chan and I will begin by awakening Neflite," Michiru said, raising her hand.

"I've leads on where to find the Metronome," Setsuna added. "I've already begun work on finding him."

"As for Ranma?" Mamoru asked. "If he's so opposed, how do we get him to join us?"

"Leave that to me," Haruka replied, leaning forward in her chair. She rubbed her hands together. "I happen to know one of his weaknesses _and_ how to exploit it."

* * *

><p>Rei looked at the <em>Anything Goes in Tokyo School of Martial Arts<em> sign and frowned.

"I don't like this idea, Haruka-san," she said. "He's a womanizer and a fink."

"He's also the only civilian we know of who is capable of defeating the Metronome's youma. As much as you disagree, Saotome Ranma is the perfect person to give you self-defense lessons. He saved your life, you know. I don't understand what your hesitation is."

"You know I don't trust men," Rei kerned a piece of hair in her finger, avoiding Haruka's gaze. "And given the current circumstances there's even more validity to that feeling."

"You trust that silver-haired gentleman who's been visiting you, though," Haruka said slyly.

"How do you know—whatever! I barely know Ranma!" Rei affronted.

"You barely know that other man," Haruka argued.

"I—it's—it's _different_!"

"Sure it is."

She didn't want to admit it, but Haruka-san was right. Rei didn't know Ken very well—not even well enough to know his last name. All she knew about him was that he was a gentleman, a gift-giver and a listener. Something about her wanted to question _why _she got on with Ken so easily, but a greater feeling suppressed that urge.

"I'm not comfortable with this." Rei folded her arms. "You know this guy is super powered. What if _he_ is the Metronome?"

Haruka stared at the glass door leading into the small urban dojo. "I'm confident that he isn't. Besides, if he was, he wouldn't have saved you, then, eh?"

"He might just be trying to gain our trust in order to enact some diabolical scheme he's scheming…"

The tall blond sighed. "You have trust issues. It's tiring."

Rei pointed a finger at her. "You're one to talk!"

"Just get in there," Haruka replied, slapping Rei on the back—a little too hard, in Rei's opinion.

It was with a large amount of hesitation that Rei pulled open the door and stepped inside. A door chime greeted the two with a _'twing!'_ and the sound of carefree laughter swiftly followed. Rei looked around. A small lobby with bamboo walls and a red upholstered bench led into a large work-out area where a number of children exchanged kicks and punches playfully. In the middle of them stood that Ranma character, smiling, laughing and assisting them in their training.

She had to admit that as he stood there with that stupid, lop-sided grin of his and a certain glow of satisfaction about him, the brain-dead moron looked kind of cute.

_'No, Rei,'_ her inner voice warned. _'He might be a pervert. He might be the enemy. He might be a million things…and there's Ken to think about, as well.'_

Over the next twenty minutes a series of adults filled the lobby and happily watched their children complete the remainder of class. Ranma eventually clapped, signaling the class' end. After bowing out, changing, and chanting their thank yous good-byes to _'Saotome-sensei,'_ the children and their parents filed out one-by-one.

After the last family walked out Ranma finally caught notice of Rei and Haruka in the lobby.

"What in the world are you two doing here?" he asked with a raised eyebrow and a heightened voice. "I mean…" he straightened up. "How may I be of assistance, my dear ladies?"

"We're here because you're going to give Rei self-defense lessons," Haruka replied bluntly. She was always so to-the-point about things. "Starting today."

"Who made you my boss?" Ranma demanded. "And I already told you, I don't want anything to do with your talking-cat-moon-kingdom-nonsense." He waved a dismissive hand and grabbed a broom from a nearby closet.

"Just do it," Haruka replied sternly. "You owe us."

"I don't owe you anything," Ranma snapped back, sweeping the mat.

"Given that you're the reason Rei was and continues to be a target, I'd say you owe us a great deal."

Both Rei's and Ranma's eyes darted toward Haruka.

"What do you mean _he's_ the reason?" Rei asked sharply.

"What do you mean _I'm_ the reason?" Ranma asked, equally as sharp.

Haruka didn't answer their questions. Instead, she said, "I suggest you get to it." She turned to Rei. "Rei, I'll be back in two hours to see you home."

"Two hours?" Ranma whined. "But I have a date!"

"Consider training with Rei your date."

"That isn't funny, Haruka-san," Rei scorned.

"I never said it was," she replied. "See you, then."

Ignoring Rei's and Ranma's continued protests, Haruka opened the door and walked out. A _'twing!'_ signaled her departure, and the fact that Ranma and Rei were now alone with each other.

They quieted and remained in silence for some time, each one staring at anything but the other. Rei found interest in an ornately decorated good-luck cat by the doorway while Ranma stared at the base of his broom and swept.

The silence soon became too much for Rei's patience. "Now what?" she mumbled.

Ranma shrugged. "We train, I guess."

"No thanks," Rei shook her head and pointed at her pants. "I'm not training in my new jeans. I just got these yesterday. I don't want them all nasty with sweat already."

"There are spare gis in the women's dressing room in the back," Ranma replied. "Help yourself."

Rei nodded. She removed her shoes, took a few steps onto the work-out mat, then paused and spun around. "You'd better not come back there and peep on me!"

"Come off it!" Ranma threw his arms in the air in frustration. The broom fell on the mat with a _'fwap!'_ "I'm not the lecher you make me out to be, princess."

She paused. Something ran through her mind—a spark—a flash of lightning—a red horizon—two moons complimenting each other—the scent of…something… hickory, perhaps?—a training room—someone guiding her, teaching her… calling her—

"Princess?" she asked.

"It suits you," he replied. "Seeing as you haven't come down off your royal high horse since the day I met you—"

_Smack!_

"Well then," Ranma said as he held his stinging cheek and watched the fiery Hino Rei disappear behind the dressing room door. "This is going to be buckets of fun."

* * *

><p>Setsuna didn't like her newly brown hair, but the company she was hired for was quite uniform and refused to hire her if she left it green. Government jobs in Japan didn't like out-of-the-ordinary things, after all. Since she needed this exact position she made the sacrifice, though. However, as soon as this position was over, her natural color would be right back the way it was back—she made sure to buy the temporary dye for that purpose.<p>

A myriad of thoughts went through her head as she took personal trinkets and photo frames out of a cardboard box and placed them on her new desk.

_'How is Haruka dealing with Saotome?'_

_'Is Rei truly secured in just Haruka's care?'_

_'What about Ami? Is she open to connecting with Zoicite yet?'_

_'Can Zoicite really teach us how to sense a barrier?'_

_'What to do about Jedite and Neflite?'_

"Excuse me, Miss." The slender man walking into the cubicle next to her broke hers of her thoughts. "Are you perhaps my new 'cubicle-mate,' Miss Meioh Setsuna-san?"

Setsuna stared. He was tall, too tall—she remembered her target being shorter. And he should have had silver hair, like moonshine or stardust…not the standard black of so many Japanese. Still, several re-incarnated members of the Moon Kingdom _did_ look different in this life. Perhaps the Metronome changed, as well. Still, the energy he emitted was suspect, so when she was drawn to that energy and saw him applying for this government position, she went ahead and applied for a similar position—one that would keep her close to this Metronome candidate.

"I—yes, sorry. I am Meioh Setsuna," she replied when she realized she was glaring. "But there are no need for formalities between 'cubicle-mates.' Setsuna is fine. Setsuna-san makes me feel old."

"Forgive me, Setsuna." He bowed. "I'm of the old-fashioned and traditional genre. I mean no harm. You look as young as if you were fresh out of high school. In fact, _are_ you fresh out of high school?"

She blushed. He certainly was as slick as she remembered the Metronome being.

"You're a tease, you are," she played along. Setsuna wasn't exactly a 'flirt,' but she needed to stay in character to begin to gain his trust. "I'm going to have to look out for you." _'In more ways than one.'_

He shrugged. "Just a sucker for a pretty lady. By the way, there's a rumor going around that you had green hair before you took this job?"

"Strange, I know," she replied, unpacking her box. "You must think ill of me now…"

"Not at all!" he replied with a laugh. "I'll have you know that I'm not a natural brunette, either. I had to dye my hair to get this job. These locks of mine were silver, until this morning, that is."

_'Bingo.'_ She stared again, then caught herself. "I didn't catch your name, by the way. What should I call you?"

"Oh, yes. My apologies for not giving it sooner. My name is Nakamura Kenyo, but I go by Ken."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Setsuna said with a bow."

"Likewise," Ken replied, bowing as well.

Setsuna straightened up and forced a smile. _'I'll be watching you with great interest, Nakamura Kenyo,' _she thought.

Little did she know, he was thinking the same thing.


	7. Chapter 7

The Metronome: Chapter Six: "No Matter What"

In Rei's dream, she was on Mars—the old Mars, the untouched Mars. The one with breath taking river systems and mountain ranges that went on forever. The one with a capital city that mimicked old Edo: wooden houses with thatched roofs and rice paper doors; women and men in kimonos of beautiful colors; a high-rising, tiered castle in the middle of it. Japanese culture originated on Mars, she knew. Based on her dreams, that much was indisputable.

Also, in her dream she was running. The hooded burlap cloak covering her head partially distilled her vision as she ran through the streets of Ikusa, causing her to bang into merchant carts and the occasional bystander. She wanted to stop, to apologize—it was the polite thing to do—but the royal guards were after her; she had to keep moving.

The bright red gate leading out of Ikusa wasn't far away, just past a series of armour and weapon supply shops. _Freedom!_ Rei could feel it in her lungs with every quick breath she took.

"Spread out! She couldn't have gotten that far!" a guard shouted.

'_Blast! They might find me at this rate. I can't stay on the main roads.'_

Rei turned a corner and ran onto a side street. She ducked behind a large rain barrel and watched as a pair of guards ran past. _'Thank goodness,' _she thought with a breath of relief. Another minute or two passed before she found it safe to stand and peer around the corner.

"Hiding from something?" someone asked.

She jumped and spun around. A man leaned against the wall and watched her with folded arms. From under her hood she couldn't see more than the lopsided grin on his face and his cloth commoner's kimono.

"Those guards look mighty fierce," he added, nodding toward the main road. "What'd you do, steal the Emperor's prize fox or something?"

"It is none of your concern," she replied, careful to keep the hood covering her face. She couldn't reveal herself to anyone, not even a commoner who might not know who she was. "If you'll excuse me—"

"Wait," he said, tensing up.

Rei looked around—'_Oh no!'_ A pair of guards were heading straight for the side street.

"Quick," the man pushed her toward the rain barrel. "Hide behind this!"

The Princess Mars did as she was told. Moments later, she heard new voices coming from the entrance of the alleyway.

"Oi! You there!"

"Who, me?" the main with the grin asked.

"Is there anyone else around, then?"

"Sorry," the grin-man replied. "I'm just a little surprised at being called out."

"Never mind that," the guard said. "Have you seen a young woman run by here? About this tall? Black hair?"

The grin-man laughed then. "You're describing pretty much every young woman in Ikusa."

"Trying to get smart with me, then?" the guard said sharply.

"Not at all!" Rei imagined the man throwing his hands up defensively—that's what she would've done. "It's just hard to help you out when you're being so vague. Do you have any more details about this young lady you're searching for?"

"She'll…" the guard hesitated, as if carefully determining which details he wanted to give out. Surely the guards wouldn't want anyone to know they were searching for a runaway princess; revealing her identity could put her in jeopardy of being kidnapped for ransom. "…She'll have herself concealed under a hooded cloak, or something like that. And she'll be trying to hide herself behind something such as that rain barrel over there."

'_Oh, no…'_ Rei sucked in her breath. _'Don't come over here…I can't go back…please, don't come over here!'_

"What, that?" asked the grin-man. "Nothing behind that put a pile of my sick. Had a bit too much to drink followed by a bit too much to eat. You're free to look, if you like, but it isn't pretty."

"I'll…" the guard paused. "…Take your word for it. But if you see her—"

"—I'll report her immediately."

"Very good. I'll be off then. Carry on."

After a moment, footsteps scuffing against the ground came steadily closer to Rei. They stopped just in front of the barrel. From under her hood she could see only two sandaled feet.

"He's gone," said the grin-man. He lowered a hand to help her up. "You can stand now, if you like."

Rei took his hand and allowed him to pull her up. She stood in awe of this stranger's kindness. Her past-self had always been warned about the dangerous people of the City—that it was filled with looters and thieves and she should never, _ever_ wander about. The gentle touch of this man's hand made her wonder if all of that was made up to keep her from leaving the palace walls.

"You…didn't turn me in…" she said in disbelief.

"It isn't my style," he replied. "If you're running I'm sure you have your reasons. Who am I to assume they're bad reasons?"

"That is quite fair of you," she said.

"Well, fair _is_ my style." He chuckled. "Anyway, are you going anywhere in particular, or are you just running in circles?"

She sighed. "I haven't quite figured that out yet. Some place discreet." Her stomach rumbled. _'How embarrassing!'_ Rei blushed. "And, some place with food, I suppose."

"You're in luck, then!" he said jovially. "I know just the place. Real hole in the wall. Great food and a _great_ place to hide. You'll love it."

Even after all the times she'd been warned about the tricksters who lived in Ikusa, Rei wanted to trust this man. Something about him screamed of honesty and virtue. Besides, if he did try anything, she always had the power of fire to protect herself with.

"I'd like that."

"Great!" He bowed. "So what's your name, then?"

"I would rather not say," she said quietly, expecting push back from him.

But he didn't try and push her for information. Instead, he compassionately said, "Fair enough. I wouldn't want anyone to know my true identity if I was on the lamb. Let's try this: why don't you make one up? What's a name you've always liked?"

The Princess Mars thought about it for a moment. "'Rei,' I suppose. I've always liked that name." In fact, if she ever had a daughter, that's the name she'd give her.

"Well, 'Rei,'" he replied. "If we're making up names I'll do it, too. Just call me…Ranma. Yeah, I like the sound of that."

"Ranma it is." She couldn't help but smile. He really was a complete and proper gentleman.

Her stomach rumbled again. Rei coughed to cover it up. "About that food?"

"Oh, yes!" he said with excitement. "Let's go. If you don't mind, can we wait for my friend for a moment first? No need to worry, he's quite the classy fellow. Totally on the up-and-up. You'll like him. Everyone does. Oh, actually, here he comes now."

Another man walked up, though Rei couldn't see his face, either. She sensed a kindness about him, however—something demure and almost innocent—even without being able to read his face.

"There you are!" the new man scolded Ranma. "I've been looking all over for you!"

"Just helping a damsel in distress," Ranma replied in defense. "And she's hungry, so I figured we'd go to the pub."

The new man turned to Rei. He paused a moment, then offered a bow. "My apologies, Miss. I did not see you standing there."

"It is no bother," Rei replied. At that point she became curious about the looks of these two men. Holding her hood to ensure it didn't fall down and reveal her face, she lifted her head and dared to look at them. But the dream world did not want her to see who they were; their faces were both blurred and fuzzy as if the television was on the wrong setting. All she could make out was that goofy, charming grin on Ranma's face and a modest smile on the face of his friend.

"Rei," Ranma gestured to the new man. "I'd like you to meet my good friend and partner-in-crime, Zoicite."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Rei," Zoicite said, offering another bow.

"_Woah!"_

The current Rei shot out of bed in a panic and instantly put a hand to her sweat-covered forehead. She tossed the covers aside and walked around her room in swift circles. Was the dream a truth? Had she _actually_ met Ranma and Zoicite after running away from the Martian Palace?

And what in Mars' name was _Ranma_ doing in the Moon Kingdom, anyway? Did he have a tie to the past life, too?

'_No, no, Rei, your mind is playing tricks on you,' _she thought. _'You've been spending too much time with the brain-dead moron recently and now he's spilling into your dreams.'_

She also rationalized that all the other Senshi's talk about collaborating with Zoicite was the reason she dreamed of him, as well.

'_Yes, that's it,'_ she reasoned. _'It's all in my head…literally.'_

Returning to her bed, Rei climbed back under the covers. She shut her eyes and repeatedly told herself the dream wasn't real. The mantra did little to quell her unease, however; she found herself still awake when the sun rose the next morning.

* * *

><p>The next few weeks were uneventful for Ranma: no random clay monsters terrorizing the streets of Tokyo; no talk of Moon Kingdoms (or worse—talking c-c-cats;) no being approached by super-human strangers who want him to join their merry band. Best of all, however: no Crackpot.<p>

Well, almost no Crackpot.

Despite the constant protests of his newest student, Hino Rei, Haruka insisted that she walk the fiery maiden to and from each class. On a couple of occasions Ranma questioned her on why she was so determined to play the role of bodyguard, but soon learned not to ask.

"Until you're prepared to accept the Moon Kingdom and all that comes with it, you aren't prepared to know," she'd said.

As he wasn't prepared to accept the Moon Kingdom and all that came with it, Rei's curious security detail remained a mystery.

Speaking of Rei, she'd been acting curious herself throughout today's training session. She refused to work on any close-up combat and ripped her hand out of Ranma's when he tried to grab her to practice a throwing technique. She insisted on practicing Kendo instead, and swiftly jumped back every time Ranma tried to move in for a close swing.

"Hold it," Ranma finally said an hour into training. He removed his kendo mask and gave Rei the most serious of looks. "Something's been up with you this whole session. You aren't focusing and it's causing us to go nowhere. What's up?"

Rei removed her mask and stared at him, her face stoic. "It's…nothing."

Ranma knew she was lying, and he didn't appreciate being lied to. Not after what he went through. And as for Rei, she was never so reserved and wasn't one to shy off. She even seemed to relish in beating on him, as it were. For her to not take the opportunity to swing at his head meant something grave had to be wrong.

"Come on, Rei. Talk to me," he said with mild frustration. "We've known each other long enough for you to have at least a _teaspoon_ of trust in me."

"I—" Rei took in a deep breath, then responded with one of her typical comments about brain-dead morons being untrustworthy.

He wasn't having it this time, though. As infuriating as she was he'd allowed himself to grow close to the girl—well, _just a tiny bit_—over the past weeks and wanted to help if he could. It was in his nature. And, though he deign admit it to _anyone_, being in her presence was becoming somewhat comforting…again, _just a tiny bit_.

"Fine!" she shouted testily after several minutes of Ranma's prodding. "If you must know…" Rei blushed, cast her eyes downward and hastily said, "I had a dream about you last night."

His eyes widened. There was a slight tightness in his chest. She…what? Ranma grew increasingly excited. He hadn't felt that way since Ak—since _her. _Thinking of her riled him up and before he could catch himself he asked, "Was it saucy?"

Ahh, yes. There's the swing to the head.

"Oww! Hey! Watch it, my mask is off!"

"That's the point," she growled. "And you are _so_ _not_ a complete and proper gentleman!"

"Oi! Where'd that come from?" A swing and a miss. "And knock it off!" Ranma found himself dodging a slew of wild swings from Hino Rei. He barely got his mask back on in time to save him from a smack in the face by Rei's wooden practice sword.

"I'll have you know," he began, putting his sword in front of his face to defend against another swipe. "I was a complete and proper gentlemen until Akane—"

He stopped himself before uttering another word. Aside from it hurting to talk about, he was cautious about what happened between his ex-fiancé and he. He didn't want anyone to know about his painful experience—_especially_ not Rei.

Rei stopped swinging. "Akane?" she asked, removing her mask. "Who's Akane?"

Turning around, Ranma looked at his feet and focused on his breathing. _Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale._

"Ranma? What's wrong? Who's Akane?" Rei asked.

_Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale._

Ranma felt a hand press against his shoulder.

_Inhale—  
><em>

"—Ranma?"

Rei's hand gripped his gi and tugged at it, pulling him around to face her. He could have fought her, lord knew he was strong enough to ignore the pull, but a small part of him didn't want to. A small part of him wanted to see the quite rare look of concern in her exotic eyes and to know she wanted to understand him.

But the pain of thinking about Akane's betrayal, how she'd left him at the alter as he clutched a ring she promised she wanted to always wear, it was too much. His defenses crept in and the need to chastise every woman he met overwhelmed him once again.

"Just forget about it, Rei, please. I—" Ranma stopped talking when the chime at the door signaled a newcomer.

A man stood at the door—bright eyes, curly blond hair, a nervous expression. Scuffed boots that didn't quite match his pristine suit. He seemed decent enough, no threat there, so Ranma walked over to the counter and asked, "Can I help you?"

Before he could respond, Rei ran up to Ranma and sharply said, "No, Ranma, you can't help him." She pushed Ranma back and held a straight arm in front of him. "Stay behind me. This guy's trouble."

"What?" Ranma asked. He looked between Rei and the man at the door. The man's expression changed from nervous to something more somber—as if he was saddened by Rei's mistrust. Did they know each other? Given Rei's stick-straight posture, they must have had a bad interaction at some point.

'_Then again, Rei thinks every interaction with a man is a bad interaction,' _Ranma thought._ 'Maybe he just told her he liked her shoes, or something.'_

Ranma turned back to Rei. "He doesn't look like trouble, at all. In fact, he looks downright pleasant. And what are you doing? I'm the man here. I'm the instructor. _You_ should be hiding behind _me_!"

"Not this time," she replied, her shoulders stiff. "And I'll have you know, I'm quite capable of taking care of myself." Rei reached for something small inside of her gi—something Ranma couldn't entirely see.

"I _will_ transform in front of him if I have to," she growled.

Ranma turned and looked at her. _'Transform?'_ Was she one of _them?_

"There's no need for that, Hino-san. I assure you," the man said. "And please, at least allow me to introduce myself to your friend."

"You're not welcome to introduce yourself to anyone, Zoicite," Rei seethed.

'_Zoicite…Zoicite?'_ Ranma knew that name—and, suddenly, that face.

But how? He'd never met this man before in his life! Or had he? He couldn't be expected to remember every stranger he'd bumped into on a train platform, or every waiter who'd served him a meal. Maybe he did know him, somehow, from somewhere.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Ranma," Zoicite said, craning his neck to look past Rei.

A sudden pain filled Ranma's head at the sound of his name His sight darkened. He clutched his forehead and took a step back, now unable to keep his balance. As his sight faded out completely the last thing he saw was the frightened look on Rei's face as she tried to keep him from falling. He thought she said, _"Stay with me!"_ but the ringing in his ears drowned out her words. Then all went dark and cold—until the vision flooded his mind with an explosion of color, that is.

* * *

><p>"Run!" Zoicite shouted, pushing Ranma forward. "These guys don't look like they want to take prisoners!"<p>

"AKA they want to shoot us in the neck!" Ranma replied after an arrow shot past his head. "I don't suppose telling them who you are and that they're terribly confused is going to help our case."

In an effort to trip the guards that were chasing he and Ranma, Zoicite grabbed a fruit cart and tipped it over. A variety of exotic fruits tumbled to the ground, littering the guards' path. "They think we kidnapped their Princess," he said. "I doubt they're willing to give us a minute to explain the situation properly."

"But we were just walking her home!" Ranma argued, dodging another arrow. "We were seeing her safely back to the palace. We should be commended!"

"Yes, and in their eyes we were 'caught with her.' They didn't know she ran away. To them, the logical explanation upon seeing the Princess with a pair of strangers _is_ that we kidnapped her."

Ranma hopped over a pair of crates and looked back. The guards were trying to maneuver their way over the mound of fruit. _'Good job, Zo,'_ he thought, turning a corner. _'Still…I can't believe she turned out to be the Princess…'_

"I can't believe she turned out to be the Princess!" Zoicite shouted, matching Ranma's thoughts. "Of all the girls to choose, you choose the Princess!"

"I was trying to _help_ her," Ranma shot back. "And what do you mean by 'choose?' I'm not some playboy, you know! I just so happen to be a proper gentle—oh no."

They'd run down an alleyway with no exit. Ranma beat against the wooden wall in their way. _'Great. No weak spots…and the guards are closing in.'_

When the guards reached them Ranma and Zoicite threw up their arms in defeat. The guards said something about them _really_ being in trouble now. Ranma closed his eyes in frustration. How could he be so stupid as to not look down the alleyway before running into it? Now he and his best friend were in danger of losing their lives all because he was a brain-dead moron.

"You'll both come with us," one of the guards said after catching his breath. "To be tried for the kidnapping of the princess."

'_Good,'_ Ranma thought. _'At least they've decided not to kill us I wonder what changed their minds so quickly...'_

Zoicite dropped his hands and stepped forward. "Please, Sirs, if you will. If you must arrest anyone, arrest me. This man had nothing to do with what happened between the Princess and myself. He was just an innocent bystander who unfortunately got wrapped up in the situation. He's entirely innocent."

"Zo, what are you doing?" Ranma whispered in surprise. "You aren't taking the wrap for _my_ mistake."

"I'm an Earthen General," Zoicite replied. "They're bound to have leniency on me once I can convince them to contact our prince to prove who I truly am."

But Ranma would have none of that. This man was his friend, his ally and his mentor. There was no way he'd allow Zoicite to face this fate alone. Not after everything his friend had done for him—not after everything they'd been through together. It wasn't Ranma's style to let _anyone_ go down for his mistakes—especially his best friend.

"Don't listen to him!" Ranma shouted, stepping forward. "We are both to blame. He's simply trying to cover for me."

"I am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am—"

"I don't care what either of you say," one of the guards interrupted. "You're _both_ coming with us!"

"Thanks for having my back again," Ranma said as the guards led them away.

"I'll always have your back," Zoicite said as if deeming Ranma's comment as entirely ridiculous. "No matter what."

'_Man, my head hurts,' _Ranma thought as the world came slowly back into focus.

"Thank goodness, you're awake!" someone hovering over him said. Distinctly female with a sweet but toughness about it, he knew that voice. It was too unique to ever forget.

"P…Princess," he stuttered, trying to raise a hand to his head. It was too heavy for him and it fell back to his side. "Princess, is that you?"

"No, no. I'm not a princess," she said, her face a blur. "It's me, Rei."

"You always liked that name," he replied forcibly. It hurt to talk.

"He's delirious," an equally familiar voice said.

"No one asked you!" the Princess snapped—it was quite unlike her. She turned her attention back to Ranma. "Can you tell me where you are? Do you know your name?"

"My…name…"

Ranma's head hurt.

"Yes," Rei replied, her voice awash with anxiety. "Do you know your name?"

"Ranma," he whispered. "I always liked that name."

Ranma lost consciousness again.

* * *

><p>With Mars' Spring season upon them, the courtyard smelled wildly of Asiatic lilies. Decidedly Ranma liked the scent. It was calming and activating all in one. They were nice to look at, too. Their perfectly white petals never failed to bring a much needed smile to his face.<p>

"Daydreaming again?" Zoicite asked, breaking him from the soothing trance the garden had over him.

"He certainly loves his lilies," the Princess Mars teased. "More so than I, it seems. Perhaps we should refer to _him_ as Princess."

"Very funny, Princess," Ranma replied, trying to hide his lop-sided smile. "Does that mean we get to share clothing? I'm a few sizes larger than you; I might stretch things out—especially those evening gowns you purchased for the Moon Kingdom balls."

"Ranma, how many times have I told you not to call me Princess?" she scorned, waving a finger. "If you keep doing that I'm going to be forced to refer to you by your real name."

"But—but—I like 'Ranma!'" he pouted. "It suits me much better than my real name."

"And I like 'Rei,'" she replied. "It suits me much better than 'Princess' or 'Akahana.' I hate that name. It sounds like something one would order at a noodle shop."

"Fine, fine, Rei it is," Ranma said, drooping his shoulders in defeat. He never could stand up to her; he liked letting her have her way far too much. "But if a guard or, worse, your father, come around, 'Princess' it is."

Rei sighed. "Deal. But I still won't like it. Even if it is to save face in front of Father."

"Come on, Rei!" Ranma said in exasperation. "After everything we went through with your father while we tried to prove our innocence I need to save as much face with your Father as possible."

"I have to agree with Ranma on this one," Zoicite added. "Ever since we were arrested for 'kidnapping you' after you ran away from the palace, your Father has never looked at us in a proper light."

"That certainly was a fun little trip to prison," Ranma said sarcastically, remembering how they threw a freezing cold bucket of water at him when he wouldn't shut up about his innocence. "We try and bring you home safely and they accuse us of kidnapping you? This planet certainly has a unique way of 'trusting' people."

"It all worked out in the end, did it not?" Rei asked sweetly.

Ranma swallowed. _'There she goes, fluttering her eyelashes again.' _"Yeah, yeah. I guess it did. And you became best friends with Zo and I. Can't complain about that."

Rei flashed one of her killer smiles. "I've never had best friends before. Sure, I have the other princesses, but their relationships were forced. I've never been able to choose who I wanted to spend my time with. It's refreshing…but…" Her smile dropped. Ranma's heart dropped with it.

"What's wrong, Rei?" Zoicite asked. "Why so suddenly glum?"

"With the wedding coming up…" she paused. "I'm worried our dynamic might change once I'm married."

Ranma bit the inside of his cheek to keep from frowning. _'The wedding…' _He hated that topic. Mainly because he'd fallen for the princess a long time ago, but he also hated it because _she_ hated it. She wanted anything but to marry the Martian general everyone called 'The Metronome.' That she was being forced into marrying him broke Ranma's heart.

"Ranma?" Rei was staring. "Are you all right?"

"Oh, right, sorry," he replied, scratching the back of the head. "And you don't have to worry about us, Rei. We're too enchanted by you to ever leave your side."

She slapped his arm playfully. "You flirt. You always did know how to make a girl blush."

'_You're the only one I ever want to make blush,' _he thought, plucking a lily from the garden, he handed it to her. "We'll always be here for you, Rei. No matter what."

When Rei's cheeks flushed, Ranma's chest tightened. _'I'd do anything for this wedding not to happen…'_

"Promise?" she asked. "No matter what?"

Ranma and Zoicite nodded in unison.

"No matter what," they said together.

* * *

><p>Outside of the <em>Anything Goes in Tokyo School of Martial Arts<em>, thunder rolled and lightning struck. A barrage of rain beat down on the building's metal roof, causing clinks and clanks inside of the modest-sized dojo.

Ben—or Zoicite, as he was known in his past life—watched with baited breath as Rei repeatedly tapped Ranma's cheek.

"Snap out of it, Ranma." she called, her voice shaky. "Come on, then. Wake up!"

"He's all right, Rei-san," Ben said in the most comforting voice he could muster. "He's just remembering. It can be a bit overwhelming."

"No one asked you!" she shot back. "And how do I know this isn't one of your tricks? How do I know that _you_ aren't doing this with your…your witchcraft!"

"Rei-san, please, it isn't me! It's the memories!" Ben pleaded, stepping forward. The weight of her accusing glare pressed down on his shoulders, sinking them. The three of them were so close once—like family. Closer than that, even. For the Princess Mars to stare at him with such forthright hatred, it left his chest tight and restricted.

"You stay back!" Rei warned, reaching into her gi again. "He's out cold. He won't see me transform and roast you."

"I already told you, there's no need for that," Ben replied, putting his hands up defensively. What had his clone done to make her hate him so much? "Look, I don't know what the man who pretended to me did to you, or your friends, but it _wasn't_ me. If you'll allow me to help you remember—"

"—Stay back!"

A streak of lightning flashed across the sky, bringing a stream of light to the otherwise dimly-lit space. It brightened Rei's face, revealing a mask of suspicion and scorn. Ben's face also lit up, it awash with disappointment.

Ranma roused slightly, catching Ben's and Rei's attention.

"Ranma, are you all right?" Rei asked.

"Brain…hurts…" he mumbled, trying to lift his head. "World…spinning…"

Rei placed a hand on Ranma's forehead and gently pushed his head back down. She turned to Ben, her eyes still full of that earth-shattering loathing. "Look at what you're doing to him. You're hurting him." She pointed at the door. "Out. Out!"

Another streak of lightning.

"I assure you, it isn't me, Rei-san," Ben pleaded again. "I'm your ally, your friend—"

Another flash of thunder.

"_I said get out!"_

Ben pursed his lips so as not to frown in front of her. His point was moot. She wasn't going to listen. Not yet, at least. She'd quite obviously been scorned in this life. Ben hurt for one of his oldest and dearest friends. Whatever happened to make her this way, he wished it hadn't.

"No matter what, huh?" he asked, more to himself than to her. Ben raised his collar and walked out into the storm. The bell chimed, signaling his exit. So fixated on his own footsteps, he missed the look of startled curiosity Rei gave him on his way out.


End file.
